Qatar

Gulf countries are at the center of an emerging regional economic infrastructure expansion, but the implications will be global in nature.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar are each anchoring a different piece in the rebuilding of Syria’s infrastructure, turning investment and reconstruction into an informal division of labor.

The war between the United States and Iran revealed the vulnerability of static U.S. bases, while also showcasing Gulf Arab states’ capacity – bolstered with U.S. hardware and training – to intercept most Iranian strikes on their own, raising new questions about U.S.-Gulf security partnerships.

Saudi-Emirati public reconciliation, a result of hard-earned lessons about the difficulty of going it alone, bodes well for a region at war and under attack, but there are still issues left to resolve.

The outbreak of the Iran war has halted the deepening of the economic relationship between the United States and the Gulf countries. While likely temporary, it could take some time before the upward trajectory is restored.

Following the high of the inaugural Art Basel Qatar, and the low of the ongoing Iran war, Qatar is doubling down on global and regional cultural diplomacy.

As Qatar looks to the future, it will have to assess the battered landscape of the global LNG industry, reassure its customer base, and rethink its approach for a very different market.

Under Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar would be known – as a mediator, a broadcaster, a host of mega sports events, and an investor – and that notoriety would itself become a form of security: deterrence by relevance.