The linkage between economic growth and environmental degradation is a well-known topic. The burning question has become whether there is a trade-off between sustaining economic activities and maintaining the conditions of natural resources, or whether economic growth can go in harmony along with...
As demonstrations against sexual harassment and gender-based violence take center stage worldwide, Kuwait is witnessing a moment of its own. While Kuwaiti women have been fighting for their rights for decades, the latest movement was sparked after three women were murdered in just two weeks....
Gulf Arab states are in a pickle. They fear that the emerging parameters of a reconfigured US commitment to security in the Middle East threaten to upend a pillar of regional security and leave them with no good alternatives. The shaky pillar is the Gulf monarchies’ reliance on a powerful...
In July, tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates made major headlines. Dr. Andreas Krieg, a lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, discusses some of the dynamics and key issues shaping Riyadh-Abu Dhabi relations.
Yemeni youth are among those whose lives have been entirely consumed by the six-year-long civil war. This comes as no surprise as youth and children represent more than 60% of the population. However, against all odds, young people in Yemen are rising out of the ashes of the conflict and...
A decade after the Jasmine Revolution, an autogolpe in Tunisia put the North African country back in the international spotlight. Annelle Sheline, an adviser at Gulf State Analytics, discusses the influence of Gulf states in Tunisia.
The ascendancy of China and Russia in the 21st century has had major implications for the Middle East and North Africa's geopolitical order. Jon Hoffman, a PhD student at George Mason University, discusses how countries in the region are responding to the return of greater power competition.
Personality and the conflation of national interests with personal ambition are contributing to the widening gap between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It was only a matter of time before Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) would want to go out on his own and no longer be seen...
The COVID-19 pandemic has sent shockwaves through energy markets. Since March 2020, lockdowns around the world have led adults to work remotely and children to learn virtually. Last year, according to estimates, global energy demand and investment fell by 5% and 18%, respectively. Yet as...
There is a decades-old history of Washington imposing sanctions on Iran for various reasons. Emma Scott, the Iran lead and research assistant at Project Alpha in the Centre for Science and Security Studies at King’s College London, discusses the background of sanctions on Tehran.
Members of the P5+1 have been facilitating indirect US-Iran talks in Vienna with the hope of reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the US pulled out of in 2018. Sina Toossi, a senior research analyst at the National Iranian American Council, explains what is at stake.
Sudan has been at the center of the diverging interests of wealthy Gulf states for many years. Having been close allies of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar had longstanding business, military and political interests in the country...
