Regional Affairs

As hostile actors recognize the vulnerability of critical water infrastructure, recognizing water as a national security priority is the first step toward resilience.

As the September deadline for the U.S. troop drawdown approaches, Iraq’s period of comfortable neutrality is ending, but the country’s policymakers should not rush into unsustainable alignments.

On August 25, AGSI will host a discussion on the impact of the Iran war on Gulf-China relations.

Small and medium enterprises are central to Gulf diversification efforts, but strong, well-integrated support systems, including national small business administrations and public credit guarantee schemes, are needed to help them thrive.

The Gulf states want to reduce their dependence on expatriates without losing the professionals they still need for economic diversification. Pension reform is becoming part of that bargain.

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.

On August 11, AGSI hosted a discussion on global energy markets.