Featured commentary & analysis
MENASource
May 18, 2026
How Gulf investments are responding to the US-China critical minerals competition
By
Chenjie Song and Jonathan Fulton
Gulf sovereign wealth funds are seeking to maximize return on investment while maintaining strategic optionality.
MENASource
Apr 20, 2026
The Iran war has forced the US-Gulf alliance out of the shadows
By
Eric Alter
The Iran war is testing whether the informal strategic system the United States has assembled with its Gulf partners and Israel is strong enough to hold up amid a regional conflict.
MENASource
Apr 20, 2026
‘They have been exposed’: The Iran war upends Gulf states’ security and business model
By
Stefanie Hausheer Ali
The Iran war threatens the sense of security, prosperity, and opportunity that the Gulf states have spent years cultivating as they seek to diversify their economies away from oil.
Podcast series
Listen to the latest episode of the China-MENA podcast, featuring conversations with academics, government leaders, and the policy community on China’s role in the Middle East.
Programs
Gulf Security Task Force
The Gulf Security Task Force is revisiting the question of how to best protect US interests in this sensitive, always relevant region. Our goal is to provide US decision-makers with an updated, fact-based strategy for protecting US interests in the air and maritime domain from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, and ensuring Gulf partners’ ability to assume this responsibility, with the assistance and leadership of the United States.
Learn more about the Middle East programs
Middle East Programs
Working with our 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.
