Saudi Nationalism Raises Hopes of Greater Shia Inclusion
The Saudi leadership’s public rejection of the Sunni political revival movement known as the Sahwa has been accompanied by signs of an incipient opening to Shia communities.
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Mohammed bin Salman’s Plan to Moderate Islam in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) announced that his country would “return to moderate Islam.”
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Qatar Crisis Stirs Islamic Debates
One of the key aspects of the ongoing Gulf crisis, which pits a quartet of countries composed of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt against Qatar, is the attempt to denounce Qatar and its leadership over its support of Islamist activist and jihadist networks.
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Why Did Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Go to Iraq?
Saudi Arabia’s national interests in Iraqi domestic politics, and their impact on regional dynamics, have never been that far from the surface.
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The Changing Islamist Landscape of the Gulf Arab States
Independent political movements, Islamist or otherwise, are often overlooked in the Gulf Arab states that benefit from substantial incomes due to oil wealth.
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The Legacy of Muhammad Sorour, Key Figure in Rise of Sunni Extremism
The death of Muhammad Sorour at age 80 in Qatar has gone almost entirely unremarked upon in the West, but arguably signals the end of an era for Sunni Muslim religious extremism.
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Turkey’s Role in Mosul Prompts Reassurance and Anxiety in the Gulf
Few outside forces that are not directly involved in the conflict in Iraq have more at stake in the outcome of the battle over Mosul than Gulf Arab countries.
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Arab Gulf States Wary of Iran’s Role in the Battle for Mosul
As the battle to drive the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant out of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, is waged by Iraqi government troops, supported by an array of Kurdish, Shia, and Sunni forces, concerns about growing Iranian influence in Iraq are rising.
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Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry
In a week filled with news stories on the mounting theological-political spat between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the intra-Sunni geopolitical rivalry is heating up as well.
Assad’s Fall Prompts Initial Gulf Unity but Differences and Concerns Are Emerging
Gulf states met the Syrian regime’s fall with unity and pragmatism. But already differences are emerging in response to the political transition and the possibility of chaos, extremism, and a feeble state unable to preserve its territorial integrity.
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Through its careful examination of the forces shaping the evolution of Gulf societies and the new generation of emerging leaders, AGSIW facilitates a richer understanding of the role the countries in this key geostrategic region can be expected to play in the 21st century.
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