Gulf Security

The new containment: Changing America’s approach to Middle East security

By Bilal Y. Saab

Securing the Middle East after an Iran nuclear deal is the next big challenge for both the region and the international community. The United States and its allies have engaged in tireless diplomacy with Iran over the past few years to produce an agreement that would limit Tehran’s nuclear program for the next decade and […]

EU Urges More Defense Spending in Dangerous Times

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

European Council President Donald Tusk urged European leaders to spend more on defense on Friday as deadly attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait drove home his point about dramatic changes to the security situation in Europe and its neighborhood.

GCC No-Shows ‘Another Unfortunate Milestone’ in US-Gulf Ties

Leaders wanted more than ‘just a statement and more weapons sales’ out of Camp David summit, says Atlantic Council’s Pavel The decision by Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and three other Arab leaders to skip a May 14 summit with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders at Camp David reflects deep unhappiness among Washington’s Gulf partners over […]

Recalibrating the Regional Political Balance in the Persian Gulf

US President Barack Obama will convene a meeting of leaders from all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries— Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—at the White House and Camp David on May 13 and 14, respectively. The meeting aims to address the Gulf states’ concerns about a nuclear deal that […]

Strengthening and Defending Ukraine

By Blake Franko

How reforming an arms industry can save a country Ukraine currently finds itself struggling against separatists in the East, but the solution to this problem might not rest in foreign aid and weapons. The Ukrainian military industrial complex has been a significant player in the country’s economy and can help to supply Kiev’s own defensive […]

More give, less take needed at the GCC Camp David summit

By Matthew Kroenig

The purpose of the upcoming summit at Camp David between President Barack Obama and leaders from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is clear. America’s traditional partners in the Gulf feel nervous in the wake of an announced framework agreement that will allow Iran to keep its latent nuclear weapons capability, while providing […]

Artful balance: The future of US defense strategy and force posture in the Gulf

By Bilal Y. Saab and Barry Pavel

A strategic review of US defense strategy and force posture in the Gulf is long overdue. In Artful Balance: Future US Defense Strategy and Force Posture in the Gulf, Bilal Y. Saab, Resident Senior Fellow for Middle East Security at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, and Barry Pavel, Vice President and […]

NATO Seeks to Deepen Cooperation with Gulf Partners

By Jens Stoltenberg, NATO

For 10 years, NATO’s relations with the Gulf partners have grown deeper and stronger. And this is good, because the more we cooperate, the safer we will be.

Strengthening NATO-Gulf Cooperation

By Alexander Vershbow, NATO

NATO is playing its part too. We all stand with our Ally Turkey, which is literally on the front line. And while the air campaign is not a NATO operation, NATO Allies provide the bulk of the military assets that are now being deployed to degrade ISIL.