On Wednesday, March 25, the Atlantic Council’s MENA Futures Lab will host the first session of its virtual series: GCC Economies Amid the Middle East War: Geopolitics, Financial Markets, and Structural Transformation.
This discussion will examine the macroeconomic implications of the Iran war for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economies. Recent security incidents have highlighted vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and energy systems, while testing governments’ capacity to manage economic disruption. Panelists will focus on fiscal resilience, government balance sheets, and the role of sovereign wealth funds during geopolitical stress. They will assess fiscal buffers, public finance flexibility, and policy responses that support stability, drawing on lessons from the pandemic and oil price volatility to inform how GCC economies can navigate ongoing uncertainty.
Please complete the form below to register for this event.
Speakers
Omar Al Ubaydli
Director of Research,
Derasat
Dania Thafer
Executive Director,
Gulf International Forum
Raed Safadi
Chief Economist,
Whiteshield
Moderated by
Khalid Azim
Director,
MENA Futures Lab
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Through our Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East, the Atlantic Council works with allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.
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