Gulf States

FILE PHOTO: Houthi troops ride on the back of a police patrol truck after participating in a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Order from Chaos

Why are Yemen’s Houthis attacking Riyadh now?

Monday, March 30, 2020

RIAD, SAUDI ARABIA- In the photos taken on March, 24 of 2020, Saudi Arabia started its curfew due to coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has announced a curfew across the country for the next 21 days. Starting Monday (23), residents must stay inside their homes starting at 7 p.m. until 6 a.m., according to the Saudi state press agency. Employees of certain industries, including food services, healthcare and the media, are excluded from the 11-hour curfew. In addition, the Interior Ministry said it will take the necessary measures to enforce the new regulations.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Brookings experts on the implications of COVID-19 for the Middle East and North Africa

Tarik M. Yousef, Ranj Alaaldin, Geneive Abdo, Ali Fathollah-Nejad, Omar H. Rahman, Yasmina Abouzzohour, Galip Dalay, Nader Kabbani, Adel Abdel Ghafar, and Noha Aboueldahab

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Iraq's President Barham Salih meets with new prime minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi in Baghdad, Iraq March 17, 2020. The Presidency of the Republic of Iraq Office/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Order from Chaos

Iraq has a new prime minister. What next?

Friday, March 20, 2020

General view of Kaaba at the Grand Mosque which is almost empty of worshippers, after Saudi authority suspended umrah (Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca) amid the fear of coronavirus outbreak, at Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Ganoo Essa

Order from Chaos

In Saudi Arabia, the virus crisis meets inept leadership

Friday, March 6, 2020

Reports

China's President Xi Jinping (L) and Moroccan King, Mohammed VI, wave during a welcoming ceremony outside the Great Hall of People in Beijing, China, May 11, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

Middle East & North Africa

Expanding Sino–Maghreb Relations Morocco and Tunisia

Yahia H. Zoubir

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

A Saudi border guard patrols Saudi Arabia's maritime border with Yemen along a beach on the Red Sea, near Jizan April 8, 2015. Iran sent two warships to the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, state media reported, establishing a military presence off the coast of Yemen where Saudi Arabia is leading a bombing campaign to oust the Iran-allied Houthi movement. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - GF10000052482

Gulf States

Red Sea geopolitics: Six plotlines to watch

Sunday, December 15, 2019

A general view of Abadan oil refinery in southwest Iran, is pictured from Iraqi side of Shatt al-Arab in Al-Faw south of Basra, Iraq September 21, 2019. REUTERS/Essam Al-Sudani - RC156ACB6840

Energy Security

The shifting energy landscape and the Gulf economies’ diversification challenge

Samantha Gross and Adel Abdel Ghafar

December 2019

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stands next to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, Egypt November 27, 2018. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY? - RC171E79B100

Gulf States

Toward a Red Sea forum: The Gulf, the Horn of Africa, and architecture for a new regional order

Sunday, November 3, 2019

A general view shows the Djibouti port which is owned by DP World February 26, 2006. The Bush administration has come under fire for approving the sale of the nation's port operations to a state-owned Dubai company. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - GM1DSAUKGMAA

Gulf States

Red Sea Rivalries: The Gulf, the Horn, and the new geopolitics of the Red Sea

Thursday, August 8, 2019

Blog Posts

Passengers coming from China wearing masks to prevent a new coronavirus are checked by Saudi Health Ministry employees upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Up Front

GCC News Roundup: Coronavirus affects travel in the Gulf, Qatar-Saudi talks end. (February 1-29)

Thursday, March 5, 2020

FILE PHOTO: Houthi troops ride on the back of a police patrol truck after participating in a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Order from Chaos

Yemen’s war is escalating again

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

A woman walks past parliamentary election campaign posters at the end of the parliamentary election day in Tehran, Iran February 20, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Nazanin Tabatabaee via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Order from Chaos

Iran’s parliamentary elections occur amid unprecedented pressures

Ali Fathollah-Nejad

Thursday, February 20, 2020

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Events

The changing geopolitics of the Red Sea: Gulf rivalries and global competition

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM AST

Investigating the Khashoggi murder: Insights from UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard

12:15 PM - 1:30 PM EDT

Lessons from the 2019 Asian Cup: Sports, Globalization, and Politics in the Arab World

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM AST

View All Events

Related Books

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The Politics of Algeria: Domestic Issues and International Relations

By Yahia H. Zoubir

2020

Iran's Long Reach Iran as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World

Iran’s Long Reach: Iran as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World

By Suzanne Maloney

2008

Experts

Shibley Telhami

Nonresident Senior Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center for Middle East Policy, U.S. Relations with the Islamic World

Suzanne Maloney

Interim Vice President and Director - Foreign Policy

View All Experts

Multimedia

Washington, DC-2018-On March 22, Foreign Policy at Brookings will host the minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir, for an Alan and Jane Batkin International Leaders Forum. In his remarks, the foreign minister will provide perspectives on Saudi Arabias role as a regional leader for stability and reconstruction. He will also discuss the importance of maintaining key bilateral relationships to promote the restoration of security and stability in the Middle East.

Order from Chaos

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on regional geopolitics, the U.S.-Saudi alliance, and more

Jesse I. Kornbluth

Thursday, April 5, 2018

A man walks on the corniche in Doha, Qatar,

Gulf States

Crisis in Qatar

Nader Kabbani and Fred Dews

Friday, August 11, 2017

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (2-L), UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan (2-R), Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry (R), and Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa (L) meet to discuss the diplomatic situation with Qatar, in Cairo, Egypt, July 5, 2017. The Foreign Ministers meetingis held after Qatar sent a formal letter of response to the 13-points list of demands to the emir of Kuwait, the main mediator in the Gulf crisis, in response to diplomatic and economic sanctions from Saudi Arabia and its allies, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain on allegations that Qatar is funding extremism. REUTERS/Khaled Elfiqi/Pool - RTX3A58J

Unpacked

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and a divided Gulf

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

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