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Blog Post

Will Pakistan’s Balancing Strategy Crumble?

The Saudi-Pakistani defense pact has been tested with the Iran war, as Pakistan seeks to maintain the fragile status quo in the neighborhood.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 15. (Pakistan’s Prime Minister Office/Handout via REUTERS)

Qatar’s National Team Mirrors the State

Qatar's first World Cup point, earned through a goalkeeper of Palestinian descent, reveals how the emirate has turned a tiny citizenry, migration, and naturalization into an instrument of statecraft and where that instrument meets its limits.

Qatar's Mahmoud Abunada and Al-Hashmi Al-Hussain celebrate after the match against Switzerland at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California, June 13.(REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez)

Digital Risks in the Strait of Hormuz Present New Challenges

Iran’s threats involving undersea internet cables and digital infrastructure in the Strait of Hormuz have transformed the crisis from an energy chokepoint into a hybrid risk for Gulf Arab economies.

An aerial view of the port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, in the strait of Hormuz, December 10, 2023. (REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo)

Connectivity Without Transformation in the Middle East

A misreading of the Belt and Road Initiative has prompted a regional scramble to develop economic corridors ahead of the more foundational development of integrated manufacturing and intraregional trade.

Ships anchor in Lake Timsah, Ismailia, halfway through Egypt’s Suez canal, March 25, 2021. (Associated Press/ Sam Magdy)

Saudi Economic Outlook Positive If U.S.-Iran Deal Holds

If the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran holds, the Saudi economy will grow strongly in the second half of 2026 and into 2027.

Traffic moves on a road in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, February 9. (REUTERS/Isabel Infantes)

Will “Hormuz” be the American “Suez”?

The Trump administration has positioned the United States at a crossroads between a new regime of containment against Iran or a historic drawdown of U.S. influence in the Gulf and broader Middle East.

A satellite image shows the Strait of Hormuz, April 17. (EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS)

A Multipolar Foreign Policy: The Houthi Bid for International Recognition

The Houthi movement is looking to Moscow and Beijing for the international standing Washington denies it.

Houthi followers hold weapons during a pro-Iran demonstration in Sanaa, Yemen, April 6. (REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah)

The Landlord Question: What Petro-Compute Actually Buys Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is eyeing the growth of a sovereign compute exchange model that, like OPEC for crude, would let it shape and stabilize long-term compute costs.

General view of a temporary lake formed from seasonal rainfall, north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 15. (REUTERS/Mohammed Benmansour)