Gulf Politics

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Iranian-Saudi Deal Highlights Khamenei’s Control Over Tehran’s Foreign Policy

The role of Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in the Iranian-Saudi talks is a strong indication of the supreme leader’s direct influence over Iran’s foreign policy decision making.

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Saudi Arabia’s Big Bet in Yemen

Saudi Arabia is looking for an exit from Yemen. While a Saudi withdrawal is unlikely to end Yemen’s civil war, the Saudis are likely to proceed if Iran can keep the Houthis onside.

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Why Don’t Gulf States Get With the Program on Ukraine and Syria?

Policy differences with the United States over Ukraine and Syria will continue as Gulf states’ strategic diversification and growing confidence in regional preeminence create a new Gulf norm for significant policy divergence, balanced by calculated security convergence.

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Is Oman the “Switzerland of the Middle East”?

The concept of neutrality is often stretched, but using the term to describe Oman’s foreign policy risks losing track of Oman’s peculiarities, interests, and objectives.

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An Oil-Spill Disaster is Looming in Yemen, and the World Can’t Afford to Wait

The FSO Safer is a ticking time bomb. The U.N. has a plan to address the issue of the decaying oil tanker, but it must be resolved now before it becomes an environmental tragedy.

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The Art of the Possible in Yemen

If the United States wants to avoid a disaster scenario in Yemen, it should shift its focus from the failed attempt to resurrect a single Yemeni state to laying the groundwork for a divided Yemen.

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Iraq's Anti-Normalization Law Could Prove a Risky Political Stunt

Iraq’s criminalization of relations with Israel may be domestic political maneuvering, but it could come at a heavy cost for several constituencies.

Gulf Women Closing Ranks in Security and Diplomacy

Although the entry of women into the Gulf’s diplomatic and military ranks was slower than elsewhere, the region is in the midst of a sweeping transformation, largely due to top-down policies and social shifts.

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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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