HBKU and the Middle East Council on Global Affairs concluded a four-day executive program in Doha aimed at strengthening ...

Iranian Suspicion, not Acquiescence, is the New Baseline: The Iran war has slowed implementation of the Iraqi Development Road (IDR) project, while also strengthening the project’s case as an ...

Formalization, Not a Pivot: Pakistan has moved from ad hoc Gulf military cooperation to a graduated security template, spanning a full mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia, a lighter five-year ...

The Gulf states’ trade relations are in transition. While making progress on diversifying their economies, they continue to seek a balance between hydrocarbon exports and post-oil industries, as well ...

A Key Opportunity for Regional Cooperation: Iraq’s Development Road Project provides a driver for economic prosperity that could benefit the entire region, tapping into synergies and connectivity with ...

Profound Economic Hurdles after the 2014 Energy Crisis: Despite prior robust growth of the Saudi economy, fueled by the energy sector, a sharp decline in oil prices, exacerbated by factors such as the ...

This paper explores the evolution of Yemen’s power dynamics and highlights how factions vie for control and perpetuate cycles of conflict. It explores competing groups’ motives and factors that enable ...

On April 11, 2026, Libya’s two rival governments approved the country’s first unified national budget since 2013, valued at nearly 190 billion Libyan dinars (approximately $30 billion). The agreement, ...

The Doha Global South Health Policy Initiative (DGSHPI) was launched in 2024 by the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council), in partnership with the Gates Foundation and with the support of ...

Qatar’s owes its meteoric economic ascent to the exploitation of the North Field, the world’s largest natural gas field, which has positioned the nation as a leading exporter of LNG. In the tumultuous ...

In short order, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has expanded across the region, with Gulf states bearing the brunt of Tehran’s retaliatory campaign aimed at dispersing the costs of the war and ...