Publications on Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States

The presence of foreign fighters in Syria and the danger posed by their return to their countries of origin could create a security problem for many countries inside and outside the region, if only because of the large number of combatants and the many different countries from which they come. There is already evidence of “Syrian alumni” becoming involved in terrorist activity in their countries of origin and in various combat zones in the Middle East. Moreover, Western security agencies have warned of the danger posed by the return...

The turmoil in the Arab world and concerns over Iran’s improving stature have prompted Saudi Arabia to attempt various solutions to cope more effectively with challenges at home and abroad. These efforts have included an initiative to turn the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) into a full political union. However, tensions among the GCC members make it difficult to achieve the desired union, and it would appear that the GCC is far from reaching a consensus on issues of national security. Precisely because of the challenges posed to the...

President Obama’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia was aimed at restoring Riyadh’s confidence that the United States would come to the monarchy’s defense in times of need. The bilateral bargain of oil for security has long been the underpinning of US-Saudi relations, and Saudi Arabia has upheld its part of the bargain by regulating its oil exports, partly on the basis of US strategic considerations. However, US conduct on certain regional issues, particularly the Iranian nuclear project and the situation in Syria, has led to a growing...

Notwithstanding the initial successes scored by political Islam with the uprising in the Middle East, the politically-oriented Sunni movements in the Arab world, be they the veteran Muslim Brotherhood or newer groups, have been put on the defensive. From Tunisia to the Persian Gulf, Arab regimes and societies are showing resilience and determination as they confront the attempt to impose a radical Islamic interpretation on their way of life. If there is any kind of common denominator among the anti-clerical protests it is represented...

A recent article in Newsweek reported that “according to a well-placed intelligence source,” in 2007 Saudi Arabia began to purchase CSS-5 (DF-21) ground-to-ground missiles from China. While similar reports appeared in the past, the recently published information is distinguished by its confirmation by an official – albeit anonymous – source, and by the revelation that the Americans knew about the Saudi-Chinese deal and were involved in it. The report raises many questions about the Saudis’ motivations, the implications of the deal,...

The challenge to regional stability, be it by the revolutionaries operating against national state structure or by civil wars dominated by the conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites, along with a deep mistrust regarding United States willingness to support its regional allies in a crisis, has pushed the Gulf states into a corner in terms of their ability to maneuver. Therefore, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have opted for the policy of supporting Islamist opposition groups fighting Assad, Malaki, and Nasrallah. Gradually, the Saudis have...

While Saudi Arabia may so far have evaded the significant manifestations of the Arab upheaval, the age of social networks has not bypassed the gates of the kingdom. Since 2012, the number of active internet users has grown by 300 percent. According to recent studies, one-third of Saudi citizens are today regular users of social networks, and the number of Twitter and YouTube users in the kingdom is the highest per capita in the world, which indicates how “connected” the kingdom’s residents are. The average age of Saudi social media...

  On December 17, 2013,Mohammed bin Nawaf, the Saudi ambassador to Great Britain, published anexceptionally harsh op-ed in the New York Times about the policy of the Obamaadministration toward Iran and Syria. Until recently, signs of Saudidissatisfaction with the administration’s Middle East policy came primarilyfrom reports and news analyses. Of late, however, the Saudi government hasbecome much less cautious about its public criticism of the United States. Andwhile Riyadh has no good options as to a substitute ally in place of...

  Recent reports and commentaries havesuggested that a rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is underway.Indeed, both countries are eager to prevent Iran from achieving militarynuclear capability and would like to curb Iranian attempts to attain regionalhegemony. In addition, both are perturbed by recent developments in US policy,particularly the reluctance to use force against Iran and Syria, and signs of agradual shift away from the problems of the Middle East. However, in spite ofthe convergence of interests between...

<div align=”justify”> A recently published collection of captured Iraqi records offers an opportunity to better understand Saddam Hussein’s perception of US and Israeli deterrence signals, affording innovative insights into the reasons behind Iraq’s restraint from using weapons of mass destruction against Israeli targets during the 1991 Gulf War. This article tests a wide range of suggested hypotheses, and suggests that US and Israeli deterrence played only a minimal role in dissuading Iraqi use of WMD....

Saudi Arabia’s refusal to become a temporarymember of the UN Security Council is the latest in an exchange of diplomaticblows, most behind the scenes, intended to signal to the United States that thekingdom is dissatisfied with US policy in the Middle East. The events of theArab Spring continue to test the relationship and the unwritten alliance betweenthese two very different countries, one a liberal democracy and one anabsolutist monarchy. The current US administration is seen byRiyadh as weak, naive, and willing to shun the use of...