Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Venezuela

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Economics

Energy

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and other oil producers participating in OPEC+'s voluntary 2.2 million barrel per day production cut agreed to delay the cut's phase out from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1, OPEC+ said in a press release published on its website on Sept. 5.

Global: OPEC+ Delays Voluntary Production Cut Phase Out by Two Months

Brazil

OPEC+ may delay a planned 180,000 barrel per day increase in oil production in October, Reuters reported on Sept. 4, citing three OPEC+ sources.

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

United States

Israel

Lebanon

Germany

Netherlands

Switzerland

Military & Security

A number of countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Kuwait and Switzerland, urged their citizens to leave Lebanon amid the risk of a broader escalation between Hezbollah and Israel, The National UAE reported on June 27.

Lebanon: Countries Urge Citizens to Leave Lebanon, U.S. Prepares Evacuation Plan

Comoros

Djibouti

Mauritania

Somalia

Sudan

Bahrain

Egypt

Jordan

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Syria

Tunisia

Yemen

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Politics

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

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah dissolved the country's parliament and suspended some constitutional articles for no more than four years, Reuters reported May 10.

Kuwait: Emir Dissolves Parliament, Suspends Some Constitutional Articles

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was close to presenting a security deal to Saudi Arabia if it normalized relations with Israel, Agence France-Presse reported on April 29. 

U.S.: Blinken Prepares Saudi Security Deal Dependent on Israel Normalization, Floats More GCC Defense Integration

Kuwait held National Assembly elections on April 4, with incumbent parliamentarians winning 39 of the 50 elected seats and opposition lawmakers winning 29 seats, Al-Monitor reported on April 5.

Kuwait: A New National Assembly Is Unlikely To Break Political Gridlock

The Kuwaiti emir issued a royal decree dissolving the National Assembly due to its members allegedly violating the constitution by using "offensive and inappropriate" language, France 24 reported on Feb. 15.

Kuwait: Royal Decree Dissolves National Assembly

Assessments

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

By dissolving parliament and suspending articles of the constitution, Kuwait's emir is hoping to finally enact overdue economic reforms. But fears of sparking public backlash will still limit the scope of those reforms.

Kuwait's Dissolved Parliament Clears the Way for Stalled Economic Reforms

Turkey

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

Iranian-made satellite carriers (left) and missiles (right) are displayed in front of the Holy Defense Museum in Tehran, Iran, on Sept. 20, 2020.

U.S.-Iran Relations

The integrated air and missile defense system laid out in the proposed DEFEND Act could entice Saudi Arabia to deepen normalization with Israel.

U.S. Lawmakers Unveil a Plan to Shield Middle East Allies From Iranian Aggression

Members of Kuwait’s stateless Bidoon community protest to demand citizenship and other rights in Jahra, northwest of Kuwait City, in December 2011. 

The Saudi Survival Strategy

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

Broken Contracts in the Middle East

Compared with Qatar and the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will be much slower to naturalize the descendants of desert nomads living within their borders.

What Greater GCC Citizenship Means for the Arab Gulf’s Stateless Residents

Snapshots

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

Angola

OPEC headquarters on April 4, 2013, in Vienna. OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+'s decision to maintain production levels will bolster the idea that oil markets are entering a supercycle, contributing to concerns about rising inflation.

OPEC+ Stays the Course, Driving up Oil Price, Inflation Expectations

An oil tanker sails on Maracaibo Lake in Maracaibo, Venezuela, on March 15, 2019. OPEC'S relevance will slowly decline over the next two decades as the global transition from fossil fuels accelerates and oil's dominance in the transportation sector is diminished.

OPEC'S relevance will slowly decline over the next two decades as the global transition from fossil fuels accelerates and oil's dominance in the transportation sector is diminished.

As Oil's Importance Fades, So Will OPEC

Qatar’s defense minister (center) waits for the arrival of his Turkish counterpart to meet with the prime minister of Libya’s U.N.-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) in Tripoli on Aug. 17, 2020. 

The Libyan Civil War

Security

The easing of the Qatar blockade may help resolve the current GCC crisis, but it won't unite Arab Gulf states’ divergent regional policies.

A Potential Breakthrough in Qatar Paves the Way for GCC Reconciliation 

Kuwaiti legislators attend a parliamentary session at the National Assembly building in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Oct. 20, 2020. 

COVID-19

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

The opposition now controls nearly half of Kuwait’s National Assembly, setting the stage for delayed reforms and political gridlock. 

What a Split Parliament Means for Kuwait’s Financial Future

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait City, Kuwait, on Dec. 5, 2017. 

A Crude Recovery

The proposed tax for wealthy Omani citizens underscores the growing pressure on GCC states to reduce their heavy reliance on oil and gas revenue.

Oman’s New Income Tax Will Offer a Test Case for the Arab Gulf 

The Sept. 29 passing of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, longtime ruler of Kuwait, could shift Kuwait's staid economic and foreign policies.

Will the Passing of Kuwait's Emir Signal a Policy Shift for the Gulf Arab Country?

The emirate of Kuwait is on the northwestern edge of the Persian Gulf, nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia and narrowly divided by land from Iran. Iraq's border blocks Kuwait from the fertile river lands of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, leaving the country a hot, waterless desert with no natural year-round rivers or lakes. Kuwait is, however, rich in hydrocarbons beneath its largely sandy desert.    Because of their country's low rainfall and poor soil, Kuwaitis used to live off pearling and trade and were usually dominated by whoever controlled Iraq to the north. That often made Kuwait a borderland of empires, as its settled population interacted with merchants and traders out of Iraq and Iran and the Bedouins who traveled up from Arabia. These interactions left Kuwait's population divided between Bedouins, Sunnis and Shiites.    After World War I broke up the Ottoman Empire, Kuwait achieved independence as a British protectorate. The discovery of hydrocarbons in the 1930s allowed Kuwait to rapidly transform its economy and modernize. But it still faced the challenge of needing access to trade routes and protection from powers in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran. At various times, Kuwait leans on different neighbors to balance them against one another, as it did when it aligned with Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War. Most recently, Kuwait has relied on its alliance with the United States to ensure its independence and access to global trade routes via the Strait of Hormuz.      To ensure its security, Kuwait must have a sponsor, whether in the region or beyond it, who sees value in its independence and can guarantee its access to trade. And it must also balance its divided population, whose divisions can pull the country towards different neighbors at different times. 

SITUATION REPORTS

Global: OPEC+ Delays Voluntary Production Cut Phase Out by Two Months

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

Lebanon: Countries Urge Citizens to Leave Lebanon, U.S. Prepares Evacuation Plan

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Kuwait: Emir Dissolves Parliament, Suspends Some Constitutional Articles

U.S.: Blinken Prepares Saudi Security Deal Dependent on Israel Normalization, Floats More GCC Defense Integration

Kuwait: A New National Assembly Is Unlikely To Break Political Gridlock

Kuwait: Royal Decree Dissolves National Assembly

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