Program Related Event Feeds

Youth in Revolt?

dholodnik — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:30:00 -0400

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been spared the unrest that recently swept many of its neighbors in the Middle East. Although many perceive a high degree of stability, the country faces many of the same socioeconomic ills that helped spark uprisings elsewhere: a massive youth bulge, high unemployment, an education gap, and gender inequality. Dr.

Gulf Roundtable: High Ambitions and Hard Realities: A View from the Gulf

dholodnik — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 12:30:00 -0400

The countries of the Arab Gulf are approaching a crucial set of decisions about their economic and social development. Near-term wealth and complex incentive structures make the problems more difficult to solve, but no less important. Dr.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran's Maritime Evolution

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 12:30:00 -0400

Dr. David B. Crist (Senior Historian for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Commander Joshua Himes (CSIS Navy Fellow) discussed Iran's martime capabilities and aspirations and highlighted implications for the region and the United States at a Gulf Roundtable hosted by CSIS on July 7, 2011.

Gulf Roundtable: A GCC Strategy for Counter-Piracy?

Fri, 13 May 2011 12:30:00 -0400

Pirates’ bounties have never been more bountiful in the Arabian Sea. Despite a multi-national counter-piracy effort in the region, pirates are pursuing increasingly lucrative targets with unprecedented skill and sophistication. The GCC states, whose economies rely heavily on maritime trade through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, feel the piracy threat acutely but have th

Gulf Roundtable: Eyes on Bahrain

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 12:30:00 -0500

The unrest raging in Bahrain is hardly surprising. The Bahraini uprising feeds on old political tensions, according to Kristin Smith Diwan, professor of international relations at American University's School of International Service, and is part of a genuine call for a more representative government. Fred Wehrey, senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, believes the disc

Gulf Roundtable: Scarcity and Strategy in the GCC

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:30:00 -0500

Resource scarcity in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will challenge the same political and economic structures that resource abundance has helped shore up. Dr. Toby Jones and Dr. Eckart Woertz discussed these challenges at a Gulf Roundtable hosted by the CSIS Middle East Program on February 25, 2011.

Gulf Roundtable: From Soldiers to Diplomats: the U.S. Civil-Military Transition in Iraq

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:30:00 -0500

GCC concerns about Iranian influence in Iraq are “overplayed,” according to Mark Matthews, former Director of Strategy, Plans and Assessment for U.S. Forces in Iraq.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran, the Bomb, and Gulf Security

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 12:30:00 -0400

When it comes to its nuclear program, Iran's government seeks to manipulate any U.S.

Iran: Addressing the Nuclear Threat

mentman — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:00:00 -0400

The CSIS Middle East Program held a Gulf Roundtable featuring

The Honorable Howard L. Berman
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

On

"Iran: Addressing the Nuclear Threat"

Moderated by

Gulf Roundtable: The Conventional Military Balance in the Gulf

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 12:30:00 -0400

In a conventional war against Iran, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries would almost certainly win, according to Dr. Anthony Cordesman, the Burke Chair in Strategy at CSIS. Cordesman offered his assessment of Iran’s military capabilities and potential responses to them at a Gulf Roundtable hosted by the CSIS Middle East Program on June 24, 2010.

Gulf Roundtable: Saudi Arabia: Domestic Dynamics and Regional Policies

Fri, 21 May 2010 12:30:00 -0400

Saudi debate on a range of social and regional policy issues has expanded considerably over the last five years. Much of this discussion is driven by the media which has expanded its coverage of women’s rights, freedom of speech, and government accountability.

Gulf Roundtable: Regional Reverberations: What If Israel Strikes Iran?

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 12:30:00 -0400

If Israel struck Iran militarily, experts say, Iran would likely seek to retaliate against U.S. and GCC interests in the Gulf, Iran and Afghanistan. While Dr. Gary Sick argued that the aftermath of such a strike would be so profound as to make it both undesirable and unlikely, Dr. Kenneth Katzman suggested that contingencies are already in place to help manage the consequences.

Gulf Roundtable: Trouble in the Backyard: Yemen and the GCC

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:30:00 -0500

At its March Gulf Roundtable, the CSIS Middle East Program hosted Professor Bernard Haykel for a discussion on the role the GCC countries - and particularly Saudi Arabia - can play to help alleviate Yemen's domestic troubles.

Gulf Roundtable: The UAE 123 Nuclear Agreement: A Model for the Region?

mDziuban — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0400

At its October Gulf Roundtable, the CSIS Middle East Program hosted Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering for a discussion of the UAE 123 nuclear agreement and its implications for civilian nuclear cooperation in the Middle East, and for the creation of a global framework for addressing the challenges of proliferation and enrichment.

Gulf Roundtable: The New Silk Road

mDziuban — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:30:00 -0400

For the first time in modern history, China has surpassed the United States as the largest exporter to the Middle East, with revenues totaling around $60 billion per year. Ben Simpfendorfer, chief China Economist for the Royal Bank of Scotland, suggests that the figure reflects a “historical rebalancing” in the global economy and that China-Middle East ties will continue to grow.

The Bet: Gulf Investment and the Future of Oil Demand

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:30:00 -0400

As fluctuating oil prices continue to affect both producers and consumers throughout the world, PFC Energy consultant Roger Diwan offered his insights into the particular role of oil investment within the Gulf States.

Gulf Roundtable: Assessing the Iranian Nuclear Challenge

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:30:00 -0400

“In the case of Iran, to think that you will deal with the weapons system without dealing with the reason that they find that option attractive is a serious mistake,” said David Kay, a senior fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and the former chief UN nuclear weapons inspector in

Gulf Roundtable: The Democracy Tax: Accountability, Transparency and Efficiency in the Gulf

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

While democratic countries tend to be wealthier than authoritarian countries, few argue that democracy creates wealth. Still rarer are those who suggest that democracy inhibits wealth creation. The Gulf, however, may be an exception.

Gulf Roundtable: UAE 1-2-3 Agreement

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0500

H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the United States, discussed the UAE’s proposed civilian nuclear energy program at a CSIS Gulf Roundtable on January 14, 2009. He was joined by his colleagues H.E.

Discussion with Dr. Anwar Gargash

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The Middle East Program hosted UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash on November 21, 2008 for an off-the-record discussion on Gulf security. CSIS President and CEO John J.…

Gulf Roundtable: Making Sense of Gulf Economic Trends

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Mohsin S. Khan is director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund, and a leading expert on Gulf economics. He joined the IMF in 1972 as an economist in the Financial Studies Division of the Research Department, where he has held a range of senior positions, including Advisor, Assistant Director, and Senior Advisor.

Gulf Roundtable: Iraq's Reintegration into the Gulf

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Gregory Gause is a professor of political science at the University of Vermont and a leading scholar of Gulf foreign policy in the United States.

Gulf Roundtable: Fundamentalist Islam at a Crossroads: 9/11, Iraq, and the Saudi religious debate with Stephane Lacroix

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Stéphane Lacroix is a post-doctoral fellow and a lecturer at Sciences Po in Paris, where he also supervises the Kuwait Program of Gulf Studies. He has published articles on Saudi Arabia and Islamism in journals such as the Middle East Journal and the International Journal of Middle East Studies.

Gulf Roundtable: Recentering the Global Economy: Gulf capital and the future of wealth

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0400

“U.S. companies have no choice but to depend on sovereign wealth funds for assets,” stated Daniel Gross, Newsweek’s chief economic columnist. A growing supply of dollar-based capital piling up on the balance sheets of foreign governments has intersected with a sudden demand for capital in the United States. These conditions have created opportunities for U.S.

Gulf Roundtable: Iraq after the Surge: Implications for the Gulf States

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Joost Hiltermann is Deputy Program Director for Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group (ICG). Based in Istanbul, he manages a team of analysts conducting research throughout the region on the drivers and risks of armed conflict. The program’s latest report is entitled Iraq’s Civil War, the Sadrists and the Surge.

Gulf Roundtable: The New Rules of the Game: Global Wealth and the Global Economy

Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0500

While the Arab Gulf is enjoying a huge windfall as oil revenues have skyrocketed, the region continues to face serious economic challenges, according to Ahmed Saeed of Cerberus Capital.

China, the United States, and the Middle East: Diplomacy, Strategy, and the Triangular Relationship

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Over the next two decades, the rising strategic importance of Middle Eastern resources to China, and the continued importance of the Middle East to the United States, suggest that the Middle East will …

Gulf Roundtable: Iran: Meeting the Military Challenge

Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The CSIS Middle East Program hosted Michael Eisenstadt and Fred Wehrey to discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead in facing the Iranian military.

Gulf Roundtable: The Gulf's Shia: Toward Loyalty or Rebellion?

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:00:00 -0400

National identity trumps sectarian identity among the Shi’a populations of the Arab Gulf, stated J.E. Peterson, an expert on the history and politics of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states who is affiliated with the University of Arizona. He analyzed the current state of the Gulf Shi’a for the third session of the CSIS Gulf Roundtable on July 12, 2007.

Gulf Roundtable: Iran and the Struggle for Gulf Supremacy

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 00:00:00 -0400

Two leading American experts on Iran judged that Iran is a more rational power than is often supposed, and more aggressive U.S. diplomacy to test Iranian intentions and shape Iranian actions could have positive effects in the coming years.

Gulf Roundtable: The Arab Quartet

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

The re-launching of the “Arab Peace Initiative” at March’s Arab League Summit was accompanied by an innovation: the creation of an “Arab Quartet” to help pursue peace efforts between the Arab world and Israel. Professor F.