Middle East Programs Commentary & Analysis

Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?

By Mat Burrows

The hallowed US-Gulf bargain of “oil for security” is past its sell-by date; the future of the US-Gulf relationship is up for grabs. It has always been a fraught relationship.  Right from the outset, the United States never kept its promise to consult with the Saudis before recognizing Israel. Since 9/11, the relationship has grown […]

EXPERT ANALYSIS Beyond Riyadh: Breaking Down the US-GCC Summit

EXPERT ANALYSIS Beyond Riyadh: Breaking Down the US-GCC Summit with Zalmay Khalilzad President; Board Director Gryphon Partners; Atlantic Council Barry Pavel Vice President, Arnold Kanter Chair, and Director, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security Atlantic Council Ali Tulbah Managing Director McLarty Associates

US Disengagement from Middle East ‘Raises a Question About American Values’

By Ashish Kumar Sen

On the eve of the US-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh on April 21, Ebtesam Al-Ketbi, President of the Emirates Policy Center in Abu Dhabi, discusses key challenges in the United States’ relationship with its Arab Gulf partners, the cost of US disengagement, and the Iranian threat. Ebtesam Al-Ketbi shared her views in an […]

The Missing Multilateralism: Building Institutional Relations between the US and the GCC

By Jessica Ashooh

Ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to the GCC Summit in Riyadh, the focus from the White House is all on the immediate. In what is likely the last trip to the Gulf of the Obama presidency, issues like the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and Iranian regional activities dominate. The agenda for the […]

Institutionalizing Ties and Rebuilding Relations

By Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

As President Barack Obama heads to the region one last time, US-Gulf relations are at their lowest point in the past three decades. Relations have come under significant strain since 2011, driven by a general dissatisfaction among ruling elites in the Gulf with the administration’s approach to regional affairs. A variety of factors have contributed […]

Road to Riyadh: Bridging the Gulf

By Ashish Kumar Sen

The United States must not be neutral in its relationships with its Gulf partners and Iran, says Atlantic Council’s Barry Pavel As US President Barack Obama prepares to attend a summit with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in Riyadh on April 21, the Atlantic Council’s Barry Pavel has some words of advice: The United States must […]

In Year of Summits, Weighing the Benefits and Challenges of NATO-GCC Cooperation

By Owen Daniels

The passports of high-ranking NATO and GCC officials seem to tell a tale of impending dialogue in the coming days. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s recent flights to Kuwait, the UAE, and Washington, and Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani’s visit to Brussels presage talk of the GCC working with NATO […]

President Obama and GCC Leaders: Let’s Talk about Jobs

By Richard LeBaron

When President Barack Obama meets his Gulf Cooperation counterparts in Riyadh on April 21, he will yet again reassure them about the US commitment to Gulf security and once again they will work through a litany of regional issues, focusing on Syria, Yemen, and Iran.  There is little expectation of startling results, and given the […]

The United States Has No Gulf Allies

By Bilal Y. Saab

The word “ally” is used far too casually in Washington’s Middle East lexicon. It’s time to break this bad habit, because the truth is that with the exception of Turkey—a NATO member—the United States does not share a single alliance with any Middle Eastern country. As the US-GCC summit in Riyadh approaches, understanding what really constitutes an alliance […]