12:00 - 1:30 pm
1050 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste. 1060
Washington, DC 20036 SPEAKERS Hala Aldosari, Cem Mete, Ali al Shihabi MODERATOR Kristin Smith Diwan RSVP
From Nabati poetry to spoken word, Gulf poetry tells a story of current social and political concerns and narrates shifts in cultural and societal norms in a fast changing region. On June 23, at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC, AGSIW presented “Riwaya,” a celebration of heritage in poetry and music drawing from the diverse cultures of the Gulf Arab states. The program featured poets Afra Atiq, Salem Al Attas, and Fatima Al Hamad, as well as the Saltanah Musical Ensemble. Read more
AGSIW hosted its second annual Iftar on June 22. AGSIW welcomed guests from Gulf and other Arab embassies, the U.S. government, and media representatives as well as special guest poets from Kuwait and the UAE. Oud and Ney virtuosos Chakib Hilali and Abderrahim Amthqal provided entertainment during the gathering. Read more
Women of the ruling families of Arab Gulf states are well situated to lead or impede significant change for women in their societies. On the one hand, these women occupy a unique position of influence due to their close proximity to political power. This grants them unparalleled firsthand access to political discussions and opportunities to propose change. Nevertheless, transforming the status quo is a difficult task, as royal women are under the same political restrictions, if not more, as their fellow women citizens, since positions taken by royal women must always reflect monarchial, patriarchal expectations of them. Read more
The fiscal retrenchment unfolding across the Gulf Cooperation Council since the advent of lower oil prices in late 2014 is bound to have effects on the deployment of Gulf capital, particularly via sovereign wealth funds and state-owned investments. Some evidence of these changes is beginning to appear in three particular shifts. Read more
Frustrated with the international community’s inability to prevent the Syrian government from committing mass atrocities against its own people, especially after President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against civilians, Saudi Arabia took the unusual step in 2013 to forgo its hard-won seat at the United Nations Security Council. Read more
In the Media
Speaking to The New York Times, AGSIW Board Member Ambassador Thomas Pickering discussed arguments for closing Guantanamo. Pickering noted, "Guantanamo is currently used by our enemies as a symbol of lawlessness that grossly undermines U.S. national security."
On June 23, Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibish participated in a crisis simulation hosted by the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, convened by the Middle East Strategy Task Force co-chairs Madeleine Albright and Stephen Hadley. Ibish was part of a team of experts simulating the responses of Gulf Arab states to a set of scenarios involving an escalating crisis in the Gulf region.
