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How Is the Gulf Reorganizing Its Sovereign Wealth Funds?
News about Gulf sovereign wealth funds is no longer limited to returns and deal sizes. In recent months, these entities—which manage hundreds of billions of dollars—have begun reshuffling their internal structures and merging parts of their assets. These steps reflect a shift in how public wealth is managed and in the role these funds play…
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Why Do Gulf States Want to Spare Iran from a U.S. Strike?
Signs are mounting that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is moving closer to the option of launching a strike against Iran, while Gulf states are engaging in diplomatic efforts to keep themselves out of the circle of direct confrontation. Anxiety has risen in several regional capitals following Trump’s talk of a “fleet” heading toward the…
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Political Tensions Test the Resilience of Saudi-UAE Economic Ties
As political tensions rise between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, questions are emerging over whether their disputes could hit trade and economic cooperation—or whether economic interdependence will restrain further deterioration. Relations between the two countries have recently been strained over Yemen, Sudan, and other issues. Given their weight within the Gulf Cooperation Council…
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A Potential Alliance Between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey… Who Is the Target?
It did not take long after Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a joint strategic defense agreement in September 2025 for Pakistan’s Minister of Defense Production, Raza Hayat Harraj, to announce that Riyadh, Islamabad, and Ankara had prepared a draft defense agreement following negotiations that lasted nearly a year. Last week, the Pakistani minister clarified that…
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The US–Iran Crisis: What the Diplomatic Intervention Reveals
Mid-January usually passes quietly in Washington. This year it didn’t. Between January 13 and 15, President Donald Trump openly threatened military action against Iran, where the violent suppression of nationwide protests unfolded under an internet blackout and left thousands dead. The more revealing story is not why Trump threatened force, but understanding why he didn’t use it, and what that…
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Gulf States Watch Iran Protests With Deepening Concerns
Like many countries around the world, Gulf states are closely monitoring developments in Iran. But their concern goes further, reflecting deep anxiety about the potential repercussions of any escalation that could trigger a security shock inside the country. While all members of the Gulf Cooperation Council share these concerns, the first official Gulf response came…
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The GCC Confronts a Defining Test
After more than four decades since its founding, the Gulf Cooperation Council is once again facing questions about its ability to maintain cohesion as a regional bloc, at a time when internal disputes have resurfaced and political divergences among its member states have widened, amid a growing reliance by Gulf capitals on bilateral moves rather…
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With Oil Revenues Dwindling, How Is the GCC Adapting?
The GCC states are undergoing a rapid transformation in the management of their public finances, as oil revenues retreat from their role as the near-exclusive engine of government spending and as policies aimed at rationalizing subsidies and expanding non-oil revenues gain prominence. These shifts—of which Bahrain offers one of the clearest examples—have reordered public spending…
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The Cyber Front Rattles in the Saudi-Emirati Conflict
With every political crisis in the GCC region, the digital space erupts in a parallel arena of confrontation alongside the political dispute. Debate on social media platforms stiffens rapidly, moving beyond political criticism to target societies and governments, in what at times appears to be a coordinated effort to redefine the “other” from a historical…
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The Saudi-Emirati Rift: It Did Not Begin in Yemen
The withdrawal of Emirati forces from Yemen following an airstrike carried out by fighter jets of the “Coalition to Support Legitimacy” on Yemen’s Mukalla port may help ease the confrontation between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. However, the incident exposed a deepening lack of trust between the two oil-rich Gulf powers, whose disagreements…