Aziz Alghashian
Non-Resident Fellow, AGSI; Lecturer, Naif University for Security Sciences; Fellow, Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation project
Aziz Alghashian is a non-resident fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute, a lecturer at Naif University for Security Sciences, and Saudi researcher and fellow with the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-sectarianisation project. His research focuses on Saudi-Israeli relations and Saudi foreign policy and aims to understand and explain Saudi implicit forms of communication and cooperation. After completing a year of officer training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Alghashian earned an undergraduate degree in international relations from Nottingham Trent University, an MA in diplomacy from the University of Nottingham, and a PhD focused on Saudi-Israeli relations from the University of Essex. He was then a lecturer of politics and international relations at the University of Essex, where he taught Middle East studies, international relations, and political theory. Alghashian’s analysis has been published by AGSI and the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Analysis
Iran War: Gulf Unity, Economic Shocks, and Regime Scenarios
After a massive U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, AGSI explores scenarios for the future of Iran and implications for broader Gulf security.
16 min read
In Washington, Mohammed bin Salman Aims to Elevate Defense Ties
Saudi leaders are seeking bilateral deals that advance the Saudi-U.S. relationship without the need for the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Iran Is Attacked, the Gulf Reacts
AGSI explains what Israel’s sudden and massive attack on Iran is likely to mean for Gulf Arab states, Iran, the United States, and global and regional economies.
34 min read
Why the Saudi-Iranian Pact Is Withstanding the Gaza War
The Gaza war has demonstrated the strategic utility and resilience of the detente between Saudi Arabia and Iran. However, its longer-term sustainability may depend on unpredictable regional dynamics or other outside factors.
11 min read
Israeli Strategies to Preserve and Expand the Abraham Accords
The collapse of the Abraham Accords is unlikely but so too is the prospect of other Gulf Cooperation Council states joining the accords.
Nov 10, 2022
The Depth of the Palestinian Ingredient in Saudi Political Identity and Projection
The entrenchment of the Palestinian cause in Saudi identity continues to slow the Saudi-Israeli thawing process.
Events
Sep 24, 2026
Saudi Arabia and Israel: Prospects for Normalization
On September 24, AGSI hosted a private roundtable with Aziz Alghashian on Saudi Arabia and Israel's prospects for the normalization of relations.
Speakers
Yemen’s Strategic Reckoning? The Houthis and the Expanding Regional War
On September 10, AGSI hosted a discussion on the latest escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia.
Speakers
May 19, 2025
A Golden Age for U.S.-Gulf Relations? Assessing President Trump’s Middle East Tour
On May 19, AGSI will host a discussion on Trump's visit to the Gulf.
Speakers
Aug 30, 2023
Is a U.S.-Brokered Deal Between Israel and Saudi Arabia Possible?
On August 30, AGSIW and ROPES co-hosted a discussion on the prospects for an agreement among the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
Speakers
