Saudi Arabia

Authorities in the Gulf states are wrestling with the rise of social media stars, regulating their use of social platforms while simultaneously trying to capitalize on their fame.

AGSIW hosted Raghida Dergham, founder and executive chairman of the Beirut Institute, and Andrew Peek, deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, to analyze developments in U.S. Middle East policy.

The midterm elections may illustrate that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have become too much of a partisan issue in U.S. politics.

Control over the media is central to the Saudi crown prince’s transformation program – and to Jamal Khashoggi’s death.

AGSIW hosted a briefing on arms sales to Saudi Arabia with DB Des Roches, an associate professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Security Studies at the National Defense University.

With Erdogan trying to exploit the Khashoggi affair and Riyadh in damage-control mode, the controversy is inflaming the Saudi-Turkish geopolitical and ideological rivalry.

The Gulf states are in many ways among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Carbon pricing could be a useful tool to meet emissions reduction goals and hence reduce the adverse climate impacts on the region, while at the same time presenting opportunities for economic diversification.

While pursuing long-term economic reform and diversification, Saudi Arabia needs to show that the kingdom is an attractive, business-friendly place; yet recent moves have worried investors over the business environment, and raised some concerns over the impact on oil policy.