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Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

Baker Institute Fellow

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is a Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East at Rice University.

Analysis

CLEAR ALL

Gulf States on the Frontline of U.S.-Iran Volatility

From a Gulf perspective, red lines keep being crossed, and the guardrails for avoiding entanglement in conflict prove unsatisfactory.

President Donald J. Trump walks on the podium after a signing ceremony of his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

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

Smoke rises after an explosion in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

The Gulf States in a New Syria

Given how Syria after 2011 became a cockpit for external intervention in domestic affairs, the early signs this time for engagement of Gulf states appear more promising, particularly due to their ability to convene and lead in regional affairs.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud shakes hands with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani in Damascus, Syria, January 24. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Gulf States Choose Diplomacy Facing Region on Fire

Any escalation in the tit-for-tat exchanges of fire between Iran and Israel could heighten the Gulf states’ vulnerability to being caught in the crossfire.

From left: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend the BRICS Summit plenary session in Kazan, Russia, October 23. (Maxim Shipenkov, Pool Photo via AP)

King Salman’s Outreach to Asia

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz is conducting a six-country tour of Asia that will take him to Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Japan, China, and the Maldives. Aside from its monthlong duration, the trip is significant for the commercial and strategic messages it conveys in the context of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious program of economic reform and...

Economic Diversification Plans: Challenges and Prospects for Gulf Policymakers

This paper puts the attempts by Gulf Arab states and Iran to launch large-scale development programs into historical and comparative context.