Politics and Governance

When regional actors or great powers ask these days what determines the success or failure of their strategies in the region, they are increasingly discovering that developments in Syria heavily shape the outcome.

The Arab Gulf States Institute, Middle East Institute Switzerland, and Università Ca' Foscari co-hosted a roundtable on U.S. investment in Syria.

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

A strong relationship with the GCC acts as a stabilizing force for an inherently fragile Iraqi state. But to maintain this, Iraq needs to pair sophisticated regional diplomacy with assertive control over the nonstate actors operating within its borders.

On June 4, AGSI hosted a discussion on the implications of a potential U.S.-Iranian agreement for Gulf security.

Syria hopes to use the Iran war to deepen its connection to its Gulf Arab partners. Can it compete for inclusion within the regional security order and emerging trade corridors?

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.

After Oman-facilitated negotiations between the United States and Iran ended in a major regional conflict, Pakistan has picked up the mantle of mediator and helped broker a cease-fire, but can the country succeed at mediating a lasting peace deal?