The six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council have been among the top purchasers of U.S. weapons for decades. The largest U.S. government Foreign Military Sales contract in history is the $29 billion Saudi F-15 upgrade. The United Arab Emirates and Qatar are buying new U.S. fighter jets as well as the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) air defense missile system, and the U.S. armed forces conduct military exercises regularly with the GCC countries. Read more
Economic liberalization tends to bring with it social, if not always political, openings. By definition, liberalization challenges existing orders; more specifically, liberalization tries to deny the state a dominating role in the economy. State-led capitalism, as practiced in the Gulf states over the last 40 years, has invited foreign investment and migrant human capital, but it has always privileged the state and protected opportunity for citizens, most visibly via commercial agency laws and the kafala system. Read more
تبين الإجراءات التصعيدية والتصريحات المتشددة الصادرة عن كبار المسؤولين الأمريكيين أن الولايات المتحدة وإيران يسيران على طريق مواجهة جديدة، سوف تتضح معالمها وأبعادها أكثر حين يلقي الرئيس دونالد ترامب خطابه الأول أمام الجمعية العامة للأمم المتحدة يوم الثلاثاء المقبل. وبعدها سوف تتوجه الانظار الى الخامس عشر من تشرين الأول/أكتوبر المقبل حين يقرر الرئيس ترامب ما إذا كان سيصدق رسميا كما فعل مرتين منذ انتخابه على تطبيق إيران لبنود الاتفاق النووي الدولي الذي وقعته إدارة الرئيس السابق أوباما في 2015، أو يرفض التصديق، كما ألمح أكثر من مرة، كان آخرها يوم الخميس حين اتهم إيران بانتهاك روح الاتفاق اطلع على المزيد
WPR: Migrants and expats make up a huge part of the labor force in the Gulf. What have the Gulf countries’ policies been regarding migrant labor and how have they evolved over time? Karen Young: All of the states in the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, have relied on imported labor to build their economies over the past 40 or more years. Migrant labor has been an inherent part of economic development. Read more
In the Media
AGSIW President Ambassador Marcelle M. Wahba appeared on CGTN to discuss U.S. President Donald J. Trump's role in organizing the call between Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman: "Although, unfortunately, the call President Trump orchestrated between Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman did not lead to direct talks, I think the fact that it took place at all is important because it means there’s a willingness to engage."
Speaking with AFP, Senior Resident Scholar Kristin Smith Diwan discussed a popular photograph of Mohammed bin Salman at the Saudi national soccer team's World Cup qualifying match: "The image perfectly captures two aspects of his power: his appeal to youth and to nationalism," Diwan continued, "National pride is replacing the appeal of Islamism. And sports and other forms of entertainment are compensating youth for the weakness of the welfare state."
Speaking with Al Monitor, Non-Resident Fellow DB Des Roches discussed the U.S. arms sale to Bahrain: “This is a big issue of national pride,” additionally noting that the "country is so small that there’s a question of whether they’ll be able to exercise the full lifetime performance of [the F-16].”
