The Restructuring of Saudi Arts and Entertainment
As part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic and social reform plan, Vision 2030, the kingdom has taken a top-down approach to developing the country’s arts and culture sector.
Arts and Culture
Defying Transience: Urban Landscapes in the Gulf States
The khaleeji city embraces the fleeting and transitory. Yet amid this transience, migrants have attempted to create a home and set down roots.
Storytelling in Today’s Saudi Arabia
The drama series “Al-Asouf” vividly captures the trend of telling Saudi stories with Saudi actors and its power in shaping the public’s perceptions and aspirations.
Economy
Oman: A Small Oil Player with Big Ambitions
With a stable political regime, strategic location, and attractive commercial terms, Oman has managed to raise oil production to record levels and draw in foreign oil majors.
Saudi-India Ties: Looking Beyond the Bilateral
Saudi Arabia and India are strengthening their strategic partnership, but their ties involve the interplay of other countries.
Petro Diplomacy: Challenges to the Energy Transition in the Gulf Countries
On October 2, AGSIW held its fifth annual Petro Diplomacy conference, exploring what measures the oil-producing states are adopting to manage the global transition to renewables and alternative energy sources and how this will impact demand for oil in the decades ahead.
Energy
Putin’s Visit to the Gulf Puts Growing Russian Influence on Display
The pageantry that greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates reflects the “quantum leap” in relations since his last state visit.
Challenges to the Energy Transition in the Gulf Countries
The energy world is entering an era of disruption, where traditional methods of extracting, using, and trading energy are changing rapidly and where old rules no longer apply.
One Year On, the Iraqi National Oil Company is Everything and Nothing
While facing bureaucratic and legal hurdles, INOC’s fate rests upon competing visions for the future of Iraq’s oil and gas sector.
Environment
IMO 2020: Demand for Low Sulfur Fuel Benefits Gulf Oil and Gas Producers
Countries that export larger quantities of low-sulfur crude oil will be the foremost beneficiaries of the demand brought on by IMO 2020, but the new regulations will not be a boon for everyone in the region.
Challenges to Maximizing Renewables in Oman's Energy Mix
For the Gulf Arab states, renewables could contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also supporting economic goals of meeting increasing domestic energy demand and creating jobs.
Iraq Looks Forward to Energy Independence
Iraq aims to grow its oil and gas production capacity to meet its domestic needs, but this will take time, a commodity the country can ill afford.
Politics and Governance
Iran’s Imperial Overreach
As anti-government protests spread like wildfire threatening the Islamic Republic’s allies and proxies, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei faces a dilemma: use Iran’s scarce resources to stabilize regional protests or leave them to their own devices and risk a fight with the IRGC.
Saudi-Brokered Deal Defuses Tensions in Yemen’s South, but Security Challenges Linger
The Saudi-brokered bargain, referred to as the Riyadh agreement, is a significant breakthrough that, if successful, will prevent the fragmentation of the country and avert a new civil war.
Bahrain’s Royal Family Adjusts for the Future
The recent elevation of Bahrain’s young prince, Nasser bin Hamad al-Khalifa, to national security advisor is the latest indication of maneuvers to secure the future hierarchy of the monarchy.
Security
Can a 19th Century Maritime Truce Help Ease 21st Century Tensions in the Gulf?
The 1835 Maritime Truce between the tribal chiefs of the southern Gulf littoral could provide a model for reducing conflict and establishing a more secure Gulf.
With Heightened Tensions in the Gulf, Iran Seeks Its Own Partners
Announcing planned naval exercises with Russia and China, Tehran is demonstrating that it is cautiously choosing its actions in its ongoing feud with Washington and Riyadh.
Saudi Ambition Confronts New Vulnerability
Saudi Vision 2030 champions national pride and a new economy of tourism and technology. But a direct hit on the kingdom’s central oil processing plant at Abqaiq ruthlessly reveals: As yet, the kingdom’s future still depends on allies, and oil.
Society
Stateless in Kuwait
A proposed new law in Kuwait aims to address the critical issue of the status of biduns, or stateless people.
Mohammad Al-Hussainan: Harnessing Social Media for Charity
Mohammad Al-Hussainan leads a team working to bring a new generation to Kuwait’s long-standing humanitarian legacy, using social media, personal connections, and a compelling narrative.
New Saudi Textbooks Put Nation First
Recent changes to Saudi Arabia’s school curriculum emphasize loyalty to the state and national identity, incorporating pre-Islamic history into the Saudi national narrative.
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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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