"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Subscribe

By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy

Subscription Settings

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

Baker Institute Fellow

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

Analysis

CLEAR ALL

Saudi Arabia and the UAE Publicly Reconcile

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.

Then Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, left, speaks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan during a meeting with the foreign ministers of the Arab Contact Group on Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, December 14, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP)

Saudi Arabia Reflects on Underwhelming World Cup

Following Saudi Arabia’s early exit from the World Cup, the kingdom’s soccer authorities may enter a period of introspection considering challenges that have cast a shadow over the post-2023 landscape of Saudi soccer.

Players from the Saudi national team ahead of the match against Cape Verde at Houston Stadium, Houston, Texas, June 26. (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Maria Lysaker)

Gulf States Adjust to a New Normal

Gulf capitals are facing immediate policy choices around how to restore order in a regional setting that is greatly changed – for the worse – as a result of the Iran war.

Smoke rises over the capital Manama, following a reported Iranian drone strike on the fuel storage facility of Bahrain International Airport, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Muharraq, Manama, Bahrain, March 12. (REUTERS/Stringer)

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