Heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran look certain to stall already challenging efforts by Iran to attract billions of dollars in foreign investment for its oil and gas industry. Iran finally signed its first major energy investment contract in early July with French energy giant Total but expectations that the deal will be the first of many have been upended by the worsening political climate triggered by new sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States. New legislation, which imposes further sanctions on Iranian groups and individuals aiding the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran’s ballistic missile program, has ignited a firestorm in Tehran, where officials say it undermines the landmark 2015 nuclear accord. Read more
The Saudi, Bahraini, and Emirati efforts to isolate Qatar logistically as part of the most recent Gulf Cooperation Council crisis will require a restructuring of the country’s plans for special economic zones (SEZs) – commonly known as free zones (FZs) in the rest of the GCC states. The traditional goals of SEZ development include attracting foreign and domestic investment, generating employment, stimulating strategic exports, and developing local human capital. Read more
مني الرئيس ترامب وحزبه الجمهوري بنكسة سياسية محرجة، عندما رفض مجلس الشيوخ الموافقة على مشروع قرار بإلغاء جزء كبير من قانون الرعاية الصحية المعروف باسم أوباما كير، وذلك عندما فاجأ السيناتور الجمهوري جون ماكين زملائه بالتصويت ضد مشروع القرار. جاء ذلك في أسوأ أسبوع للرئيس ترامب حفل بتطورات ومواقف مشينة عكست حالة التردي السياسي – وحتى المهني- داخل إدارة ترامب، حيث واصل الرئيس عبر تغريداته بالتلذذ بتعذيب وزير عدله جيف سيشنز وانتقاده بشكل محرج في محاولة لارغامه على الاستقالة، وذلك في الوقت الذي شنّ فيه مديره الجديد للاتصالات أنطوني سكاراموتشي، حملة تجريح علنية طعمّها بالشتائم والاهانات –التي لا يمكن نشرها- وطال فيها مدير البيت الأبيض راينس بريبوس، ومستشار الرئيس ستيفن بانون، وألمح فيها إلى أن أيام بريبوس كمدير للبيت الأبيض أصبحت معدودة. وبالفعل أعلن الرئيس ترامب في الخامسة مساء الجمعة – طبعا كالعادة عبر تغريدة- عن تعيين وزير الأمن الوطني (الجنرال المتقاعد) جون كيلي مديرا للبيت الأبيض بدلا من بريبوس، الذي حرم حتى من فرصة تقديم استقالته تحفظ ماء وجهه اطلع على المزيد
In addition to original content, AGSIW.org in Arabic is regularly updated with new Arabic translations of AGSIW's analysis. Recent translations include:
Speaking with the BBC, AGSIW Executive Vice President Stephen A. Seche commented on his trip to Saudi Arabia earlier in July to meet with Saudi and Yemeni officials about the ongoing conflict in Yemen: "What I did walk away with is a feeling of frustration that there is an awareness, increasingly, an awareness that the situation is going entirely in the wrong direction. That on the battlefield, there's stasis, there's no clear way out. Only a political settlement is determined to be the final way they can get themselves free of this mess. And yet, the political will and military ability, the kind of commitment to say 'we will accept less than we walked in demanding,' seems not to be there."
Speaking with The National, Seche commented on the appointment of Khaled bin Salman as Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to the United States: "Prince Khaled has a challenging agenda, between the Yemen war, the Qatar dispute, Jasta, the promise of Vision 2030 to liberalise the Saudi economy and explaining those to the US public."
Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibish spoke with France 24 about regional implications of violence in Jerusalem and U.S. involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian issue noting, “It is clearly time for the United States to take a lead now to push both parties to act in their broader national interest.”
Outreach
AGSIW Senior Resident Scholar Hussein Ibish discussed the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Syria, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East during a panel at Kent Presents.
Position Title: Program and Digital Media Intern Department/Team: Programs and Publications Period: Fall 2017 Location: Washington, DC Deadline to Apply: July 31
Job Summary: The Internship Program at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington provides talented students and recent graduates with a three-month (or longer) unpaid training opportunity designed to encourage professional and personal development. We encourage out-of-the-box thinking and value fresh perspectives. AGSIW will provide interns with a transportation stipend. Read more
