GCC
Yemen: U.S.-Saudi Arms Deal Tests the Truce
The News The United States approved an arms deal of about $2 billion for Saudi Arabia. This comes as the kingdom appears close to renewed fighting with the Houthis. The Houthis fired missiles at the airport in Abha, in…
Qatar: How Gulf–Iran Arrangements Are Redrawing the Rules of Undeclared Deterrence
Press reports indicated that Qatar offered Iran a “secret deal” before the outbreak of the Islamic Republic’s war with the United States and Israel, under which it would halt gas production in exchange for an Iranian…
Riyadh’s Syrian Bet: Security and Influence After the War
Overview: Saudi Arabia leads the field of countries pushing hardest to invest in Syria, in line with its Vision 2030 economic agenda and its drive to widen its regional footprint amid Iran’s receding influence, through…
Saudi–Russian Cooperation: Economic Opportunities and Geopolitical Challenges
Overview: The chairman of the Saudi–Russian Business Council, Tariq al-Qahtani, announced on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Riyadh and Moscow are seeking to deepen their industrial…
Saudi Arabia Pushes for a “Gulf Helsinki” to Contain Tensions with Iran
The News Riyadh is exploring a regional security framework modeled on the 1975 Helsinki Accords, built around three pillars: non-aggression, economic cooperation and stable energy flows, and verification and…
Egypt’s Military Presence in the UAE and Regional De-escalation Signals
On May 7, 2026, the UAE Ministry of Defense disclosed the presence of an Egyptian Rafale fighter detachment stationed on its soil — an unprecedented development in the military history of the two countries. Egyptian…