Security

The reemergence of the Taliban is being treated cautiously in the broader Middle East. But the U.S. withdrawal may leave a unique political space for more engagement from the Gulf Arab states.

The 9/11 attacks reshaped Gulf Arab perceptions of terrorism and Islamism, of each other, and of strategic relations with Tehran and Washington.

Maximalist proposals calling for near-total withdrawal or expanding the U.S. military footprint are unrealistic. The task is to find effective ways of doing as much, or more, with less.

As long as Iran’s economy is spiraling downward, its new government will have some incentive to ease tensions abroad.

A fresh look at an integrated Red Sea framework and associated diplomacy could help avoid a security dilemma resulting from overlapping spheres of economic interest and militarization.

Gulf countries are reassessing their relations with the Assad regime, but U.S. sanctions preventing investment and reconstruction will impede any true reintegration of Syria into the region.

The announcement that the United States will conclude its combat role in Iraq by the end of 2021 appears to be no more than rebranding the U.S. troops’ current role in Iraq.

The UAE is increasingly looking to the maritime domain as an area of regional and global cooperation but also as a vessel of continued power projection.