The Gulf region and how GSN covers it – including recent and archived articles, maps, family trees, and other resources.
Briefings & Reports
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Need an expert briefing to support an investment decision?
GSN’s team of experienced analysts are often called on by governments and their agencies, financial institutions, and energy companies to comment on developments in the Gulf region. Our analysts are available for private briefings (either by telephone or in person) and can produce tailored reports and research on a range of topics and issues. For more information contact Mark Ford. Email:mark@cbi-publishing.com
Politics, succession & risk in Saudi Arabia report
Politics, succession and risk in Saudi Arabia is a GSN special report, published in January 2010. The new report analyses Saudi policy on issues including succession, domestic and regional politics, defence, energy and financial trends, and features extensively researched biographical entries on 1,200 Al-Sauds from the ruling family’s main branch, together with profiles of leading cadet branch businessmen, and a range of maps and graphics.
Read more about the report
Islamic Finance Report
Published in June 2009, this GSN report is an essential reference tool for both newcomers, and well-established bankers and practitioners. Read more
Endorsements
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Professor Gerd Nonneman director Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies (IAIS), University of Exeter
"I have been a genuine admirer for many years. I regard GSN as the only one that focuses properly on Arabia and on Saudi Arabia in particular. That alone makes it very special as no country in the region is less understood in the UK than Saudi Arabia."
Stephen Day, consultant and former British ambassador
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Luc Debieuvre, Bank Audi Saradar
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José Silva Pereira general secretary Partex Oil and Gas
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Welcome
For over thirty five years, GSN has been breaking news and providing informed analysis on the people, politics and resources of the Gulf region.
Our information is based on independent research and staff expertise. We are not a web-based aggregator that rehashes wire stories and press releases.
Discover why GSN is so valued by its clients and readers by viewing a selection of our articles and content on GSN’s World.
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HEADLINES
Gas exports, Iran connection and real estate plays in the mix as Oman looks to economic resurgence
Oman’s sovereign rating has improved and there is growth again, but the authorities still face a tough task if they are to lift living standards for the majority. An Iranian gas deal is among potential solutions to drive new projects more (opens new window)
Iran sanctions
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has tried the patience of most UN Security Council members, making yet more sanctions likely for Iran. But China’s emergence as a major player in oil production threatens to undermine efforts to target sanctions at the energy industry. And while there are signs that Russia may support a tougher line despite its own increasing presence in Iran, Moscow is likely to oppose sanctions against the energy industry. Instead it may favour action targeted at the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. more (opens new window)
Raytheon and MBDA fight for GCC missile sales
US manufacturer Raytheon will be buoyed by its new $170m missiles deal with the UAE, but European firms are competing strongly to supply air-launched missile systems. The French-based MBDA consortium of EADS, BAE Systems and Finmeccanica has sunk its teeth into a range of big contracts in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Europeans’ willingness to provide long-range cruise missiles seems to be a key differentiator in markets like Saudi Arabia, where the US Congress is uneasy about approving sales more (opens new window)
Rising crime in Saudi Arabia worries US
Violent crime against westerners in Saudi Arabia is increasing, according to a new report by the United States’ State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security. At the same time, Washington continues to warn of a possible major anti-western bombing or shooting incident in 2010.
On the ground, the situation seems less dramatic: the report says the most prevalent crimes against expatriates are property offences such as break-ins to parked cars. But purse-snatchings and muggings are believed to be increasing, and carjackings, while rare until last year, have increased in Riyadh, Jeddah and Eastern Province.
Few incidents involved firearms, but security analysts say that attackers may be armed due to the high level of handgun ownership. Such is the nervousness that initial reports of an accident involving British cyclist John Currie in Riyadh said he was “deliberately” run down by a car. In some parts of the south-west, bandits wearing official uniforms have set up fake vehicle checkpoints – which In Iraq and Saudi Arabia during 2004 were the most common method of kidnapping expatriates. However, the report concedes that the key risk remains road traffic accidents and related road-rage. more (opens new window)
GSN page on Facebook
GSN now has a page on Facebook. We have posted a number of article excerpts and links to background material on the ‘discussions’ board. Pay us a visit on Facebook to interact with our writers and analysts, add your thoughts and posts and become a fan of GSN.
Politics, succession and risk in Saudi Arabia
GSN’s new special report Politics, succession and risk in Saudi Arabia was launched to great acclaim at a 15 January seminar in London hosted and co-organised by Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme. Senior figures from the banking, insurance and risk sectors joined industry and governmental political risk analysts for a frank roundtable discussion of the issues raised by a report that was recognised by discussants – who included Exeter University Professor Gerd Nonneman, political scientist Neil Partrick, Saudi academic Mai Yamani and Chatham House’s Maha Azzam and Claire Spencer – as a significant piece of research and analysis, which “raised the bar” for those researching the Kingdom.
Politics, succession and risk in Saudi Arabia focuses on how King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz has sought to reshape the face of Al-Saud rule during his first five years on the throne through initiatives such as creating the Allegiance Council in 2006 and building national consensus on issues critical for the Kingdom’s future.
The new report analyses Saudi policy on issues including succession, domestic and regional politics, defence, energy and financial trends, and features extensively researched biographical entries on 1,200 Al-Sauds from the ruling family’s main branch, together with profiles of leading cadet branch businessmen, and a range of maps and graphics. Read more about the report
Providing rare insights into the structure and workings of the Saudi elite, this report is essential reading for anyone with a serious academic or business interest in Saudi Arabia.
