Featured commentary & analysis


Counterterrorism Study Group

The Counterterrorism Study Group is a forum for former counterterrorism officials to review the latest threats, to understand emerging trends and future predictions, and to explore creative new proposals for improving the effectiveness of current policies and operations.


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.


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.

Content

New Atlanticist

May 14, 2019

Attacks on Saudi oil stations raise tensions in volatile Gulf

By David A. Wemer

Drones purportedly flown by Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked Saudi oil pumping stations on May 14, creating a new flash point in a region already on edge over rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

Conflict Energy Markets & Governance

In the News

May 14, 2019

Daragahi Quoted in Talk Media News on Houthi Rebels in Yemen Blamed for Saudi Oil Attacks

By Borzou Daragahi

Read the full article here.

Saudi Arabia Yemen

MENASource

May 9, 2019

Xi Jinping’s promise of an open BRI bodes well for Chinese-Gulf relations

By Dan Katz

Promises made by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the biennial Belt and Road Forum about opening the Belt and Road Initiative to multilateral and third-party investment could bode well for Gulf-China relations and the Middle East more broadly by creating new opportunities for energy and economic cooperation.

China International Organizations

MENASource

May 2, 2019

Israeli-Gulf relations: Will the détente deepen or dry up?

By Daniel J. Samet

On April 25, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that an Israeli delegation will take part in next year’s World Expo, hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fresh off his victory in the April 9 elections, tweeted his approval of Israel’s participation, which he called “another expression of Israel’s rising status in the world and the region.”

Israel The Gulf

EnergySource

Apr 23, 2019

Saudi Aramco bond offering: What does it say about the kingdom and oil markets?

By Phillip Cornell

At the start of the month, in preparation for its first bond offering, Saudi Aramco released a 469-page prospectus that provided the first real public look into the oil company’s books. The media was astounded by the $111 billion profit figure for 2018, and a bond market hungry for returns oversubscribed to the offering by […]

Energy Markets & Governance Oil and Gas

IranSource

Apr 18, 2019

Oman hedges its bets on Tehran and the Trump administration

By Maysam Behravesh

As the Trump administration steps up pressure on Iran, much attention has focused on unprecedented moves such as the April 15 designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization.

International Organizations Iran

EnergySource

Apr 11, 2019

Why the massive floating bomb in the Red Sea needs urgent attention

By Dr. Ian Ralby, Dr. David Soud, and Rohini Ralby

A floating storage and offloading (FSO) terminal less than five miles off the coast of Yemen has turned into a massive bomb—capable of explosion due to its contents and lack of maintenance. The risk of explosion increases by the day, and if that were to happen, not only would it damage or sink any ships […]

Middle East Oil and Gas

IranSource

Apr 10, 2019

Saudi Arabia’s plan to lure Iraq from Iran

By Nader Habibi and Omid Shokri Kalehsar

A Saudi economic delegation visited Iraq on April 3, seeking to promote the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries—and to give Iraq an alternative to growing Iranian ties.

Iran Iraq

In the News

Apr 4, 2019

Wald Joins Bloomberg to Discuss Saudi Aramco’s Profit

By Ellen Wald

Watch the full discussion here

Saudi Arabia

In the News

Apr 1, 2019

Wald Joins Bloomberg to Discuss Saudi Royal Family Demands and Its Risks For Investors

By Ellen Wald

Listen to the full discussion here

Saudi Arabia

Experts