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Giorgio Cafiero

Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO of Gulf State Analytics and an adjunct assistant professor at Georgetown University.

Analysis

CLEAR ALL

Kuwait’s Defense Diversification Through Pakistan

The significance of Kuwait’s defense pact with Pakistan lies less in any immediate military transformation than in what it reveals about the evolving security landscape of the Gulf.

Giorgio Cafiero

8 min read

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif meets with Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Jarrah Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 29. (© PPI via ZUMA Press Wire)

The Geopolitics of Reviving the Hejaz Railway

The revived Hejaz Railway could become one of the region’s most significant transportation and integration projects as a land route connecting Europe to the Gulf.

Giorgio Cafiero

12 min read

A drone view shows the Hejaz Railway station in Damascus, Syria December 11, 2024. (REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano)

Iran War Tests Oman’s Foreign Policy

Iranian attacks on Omani ports and oil tankers are straining Oman’s long-standing “friend to all” regional foreign policy, but Muscat still has a part to play in achieving peace.

Giorgio Cafiero

9 min read

An LPG gas tanker at anchor as traffic is down in the Strait of Hormuz, in Shinas, Oman, March 11. (REUTERS/Benoit Tessier)

How the UAE Became Serbia’s Most Important Arab Partner

Through its increasing ties with Serbia, the UAE has secured a lasting strategic foothold in the Western Balkans, and Serbia has gained an influential Arab partner that is likely to remain central to Belgrade’s multipolar foreign policy calculus.

Giorgio Cafiero

12 min read

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic shakes hands with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan as they attend a military parade in Belgrade, Serbia, September 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Gulf Diplomacy Eases Afghanistan-Pakistan Tensions

Gulf Arab states are using their diplomatic, financial, and religious leverage to try and de-escalate rising Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions.

Giorgio Cafiero

10 min read

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, center right, and Afghan Defense Minister Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob shake hands after signing a cease-fire agreement in Doha, Qatar, October 19, 2025.(Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP)

Iran’s Messaging After Israel’s Qatar Strike

Iran has moved quickly to try to capitalize on cracks in U.S.-Gulf relations after Israel’s unprecedented attack on Hamas officials in Qatar.

Giorgio Cafiero

10 min read

Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani meets with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Doha, Qatar, September 4. (Amiri Diwan/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY)