Few countries in the world can match Iran’s geo-economic and geo-political significance in the global energy markets. The country holds the world’s largest proven natural gas reserve (18.2 percent) and fourth oil reserves (9.3 percent). It is a founding member of both the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum Read More >
Kuwait
The G.C.C. and China’s One Belt, One Road: Risk or Opportunity?
China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative is both a reflection of China’s growing need for deeper engagement with the regions to its west and a grander vision for Chinese foreign policy. OBOR is an ambitious plan for integrating the provinces of China, especially underdeveloped ones in the west and south of the country, with Read More >
China is Diving into the Gulf, But For How Long?
It’s getting harder for Beijing to sell the story of non-interference in affairs of sovereign states.Like most other major global powers that have preceded it, China is becoming entangled in the Middle East. A friendlier region to its interests than its own neighborhood in East Asia, China found in the Middle East an attractive zone Read More >
Countering Violent Extremism In The MENA Region
According to the Soufan Group’s latest report, between 27,000 and 31,000 foreign fighters (FFs) had travelled to Syria and Iraq as of December 2015. More than half (16,000) come from the MENA region. Five years after the Arab uprisings, these figures contrast with the commitments made by the governments in the region to establish a Read More >
Inside The Hearts and Minds of Arab Youth
The 8th Annual ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller Arab Youth Survey 2016 was conducted by international polling firm PSB to explore attitudes among Arab youth in 16 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. PSB conducted 3,500 face-to-face interviews from January 11 to February 22, 2016 with Arab men and women in the age group of 18 Read More >
GCC Security Amid Regional Crises
The Gulf is in a dead heat with the Korean peninsula for the title of most likely flashpoint in the world. No other region has the same volatile mixture of ethnic and religious enmity, under-developed political systems, modern weaponry, high levels of natural resources, and active great power interests. Every security analysis subject area—irregular warfare, Read More >