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Iran

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Energy

Military & Security

Politics

Gulf Arab states condemned Israel's June 13 attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets in a series of official statements, Al Jazeera reported on June 13. 

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

China

Indonesia

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Economics

Malaysia hosted the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council-China trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Channel News Asia reported on May 27.

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

United States

Turkey

Turkey's Trade Minister Omer Bolat said that Turkey would try to negotiate the 10% tariffs imposed on the country with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Trade and would attend the Turkish-American Conference in D.C. in May, Reuters reported April 4.

Turkey, MENA, U.S.: Turkey Will Seek to Negotiate U.S. Tariffs

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa pardoned 457 prisoners to mark the 25th anniversary of his rule in the latest sign of easing repression in the island kingdom, AP reported on Sept. 4.

Bahrain: Another Prisoner Release Signals Easing Repression, but Crackdowns Remain Possible

Comoros

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Mauritania

Somalia

Sudan

Algeria

Egypt

Iraq

Jordan

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Libya

Morocco

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Tunisia

Yemen

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Arab leaders began to arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on May 15, for the 33rd Arab League summit that will focus on developing a consensus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, The National reported the next day.

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Pakistan

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 3 reached a consensus on investment terms concerning a potential free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, Arab News Pakistan reported on Dec. 4.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Bahrain's ambassador to Israel, Khalid Yusuf Ahmed Aljalahma, returned to Manama after his Israeli counterpart had returned to Israel earlier, Bahrain News Agency reported Nov. 2.

Bahrain, Israel: Bahrain and Israel's Ambassadors Return to Their Respective Countries 

Bahrain granted "golden licenses" to five companies who made large-scale investment promises totaling $1.4 billion, Al Arabiya reported June 15.

Bahrain: Bahrain Grants Inaugural Golden Licenses 

Assessments

Ethiopia

Middle East and North Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

The Geopolitics of Water: In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Participants stand outside the pavilion of Oman as they attend day nine of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 9, 2023. 

The July terrorist attack in Oman will likely spark a regional security crackdown, despite the incident's limited political and economic consequences.

A Rare Terrorist Attack in Oman Portends a Regional Security Crackdown

Europe

Israeli soldiers guard a barrier, silhouetted against afternoon sun.

As Gaza moves closer to a post-war reality, political limitations in Israel and competing interests abroad muddy the waters of the region's future governance.

For Israel, the Challenge of Gaza's Future Governance Deepens

Snapshots

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attends a signing ceremony following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on May 23, 2024. 

Bahrain-Iran normalization would reduce risks for Manama amid rising regional tensions, but security and some political vulnerabilities remain.

Normalization With Iran Would Reduce -- but Not Eliminate -- Security Risks for Bahrain

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Social Issues

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Guidance

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Uruguay

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: EU and Chinese Officials Talk Trade, Israel Hosts an Abraham Accords Summit

A portrait of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi is seen on a billboard in Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 31, 2021. 

The Yemen Civil War

Iran's Arc of Influence

By alienating wealthy Arab Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, a Lebanese official’s show of support for Iran-backed proxies risks deepening his country’s financial crisis.

A Row Over Yemen Sends Lebanon-Gulf Ties Spiraling

Hong Kong SAR, China

North Korea

India

Zhang Xiaoming (C), Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, at the end of a State Council press conference on Hong Kong electoral reform March 12, 2021, in Beijing.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Mainland Finalizes Hong Kong Reforms, Biden Reviews North Korea Policy

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Talaat Fahmy speaks during an interview in Istanbul, Turkey, on Jan. 19, 2021.

COVID-19

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

As it emerges from isolation, Doha will be forced to rely less on its ties to the Islamist group and more on diplomatic efforts to gain influence abroad. 

What Does the End of the Qatar Blockade Mean for the Muslim Brotherhood? 

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf holds a press conference at the end of the GCC's 41st summit in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Jan. 5, 2021. 

Security

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

Riyadh is trying to appease the incoming Biden administration, but U.S. concerns with its nuclear program and regional behavior will continue to drive rifts. 

What’s Driving Saudi Arabia to Ease Its 3-Year Qatar Blockade 

A South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted in the Persian Gulf after being seized by the Iranian navy on Jan. 4, 2021. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

Cyber

Tehran's increased nuclear and naval activity in recent days risks provoking a military response in the region, including a potential U.S. strike on Iranian soil. 

What to Make of the Latest Uptick in Iranian Aggression 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and Alternate Prime Minister and Defence Minister Benny Gantz (left) attend a cabinet meeting in the Knesset on May 24, 2020.

Israel's Survival Strategy

Should the vote yield a more right-wing government with a new leader, Arab and Muslim states may pause or even reverse their pursuit of normalized Israeli ties.

What Another Israeli Election Means for Netanyahu and Normalization 

The island of Bahrain is the smallest country in the Persian Gulf, sitting just off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia and the western coast of Qatar. It has almost no forestry to speak of and very little arable land. The country's only natural resources are a dwindling supply of hydrocarbons.      But because Bahrain has an ancient natural oasis, it is also one of the oldest inhabited places in the Gulf; there is evidence that the island was host to the Dilmun civilization as far back as the 4th millennium BCE. Bahrain was often the base of great powers who sought to control the Persian Gulf, including the ancient Assyrians, the Safavid Persians and, most recently, the British Empire. The Safavid Persians left behind a large community of Shiite believers, although the island has been under the rule of a Sunni dynasty since the 18th century.     Bahrain's main geographic challenge is securing export routes through the narrow Strait of Hormuz so it can access the wider oceans, but it rarely has the strength to do this on its own. It also often becomes the pawn of greater powers and struggles to defend itself against invaders. The country thus seeks to ally itself with outside powers that will protect it and also allow it to export its hydrocarbons. Most recently, Bahrain also has sought allies that will also protect its Sunni dynasty from its Shiite majority, who have been agitating to gain more control of the country.

SITUATION REPORTS

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

Turkey, MENA, U.S.: Turkey Will Seek to Negotiate U.S. Tariffs

Bahrain: Another Prisoner Release Signals Easing Repression, but Crackdowns Remain Possible

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Bahrain, Israel: Bahrain and Israel's Ambassadors Return to Their Respective Countries

Bahrain: Bahrain Grants Inaugural Golden Licenses

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