The Institutionalization of the GCC Conflict

by Giorgio Cafiero Five months into the Qatar crisis, the future outlook for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as an institution of six Arabian countries is gloomy. In light of expectations that the Council will postpone its annual summit— scheduled… Continue Reading

Gulf Dispute Heightens US Frustration with Saudis

by Giorgio Cafiero Nearly five months after the Anti-Terror Quartet (ATQ)—Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—severed diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar, Washington is coming to terms with its limited capacity to push the involved parties… Continue Reading

How the GCC Blockade Reignited Qatar’s Nationalism

by Nicolai Due-Gundersen On July 21, 2017, Qatar’s emir gave his first address since the start of a two-month blockade launched by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt. “The time has come for us to spare the… Continue Reading

Can the Quartet Eject Qatari Influence from Gaza?

by Giorgio Cafiero In early July, Mohammed Dahlan and a Hamas delegation led by Yahya Sinwar held an important meeting in Cairo. While in the Egyptian capital, Fatah’s former security chief in Gaza, who has been living in exile in… Continue Reading

Washington and Riyadh: Fading Memory of 9/11?

by Emile Nakhleh The terror attacks of 9/11 have become a distant memory in US-Saudi relations. Washington’s recent multi-billion American arms sales to Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, its continued coddling of the Saudi regime, and the absence of American moral… Continue Reading