30-31 January: Middle East and North Africa Energy, London
6-7 February: E & P Information and Data Management, London
6-8 February: PowerGen Middle East, Doha
13-15 February: Kuwait Oil and Gas Summit and Exhibition, Kuwait
14-15 February: 9th Annual Trade and Export Finance Conference, Dubai
27-29 February: Offshore Arabia, Dubai
March (date to be confirmed): Middle East Alternative Investment Summit (location to be confirmed)
3-5 March: Saudi Safety and Security, Saudi Arabia
5-8 March: Middle East Investment Summit, Dubai
5-8 March: Hedge Funds World Middle East, Dubai
6-7 March: Saudi Downstream, Saudi Arabia
5-8 March: Middle East Investment Summit, Dubai
20-21 March : 3rd Annual Middle East Securities Forum, Abu Dhabi
25-27 March: Gulf Environment Forum, Saudi Arabia
25-27 March: Saudi Innovation, Diversification & Investment, Saudi Arabia
24-25 April: Middle East Real Estate Summit, Abu Dhabi
9-10 May: SMI's LNG 2012, London
13-15 May: WEPower, Saudi Arabia
18-20 June: Iraq Petroleum, London
Briefings & Reports
Untitled Page
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
Untitled Page
On the page below you will find a selection of articles from the GSN archive. Please note that while some of the content is free to access, all items preceded by a padlock symbol () require a subscription.
Senior UAE, Qatari sheikhs talk big business – and small arms – in Algiers
A flurry of diplomatic missions to Algiers during November emphasised the strengthening trade and investment bonds within the Middle East and North Africa region: defence deals were on the agenda. Issue 842, 5 December 2008.more
Commander-in-Chief? Washington unsure whether Obama or Petraeus will lead Gulf policy
With the Obama camp keeping its cards close to its chest on key appointments and foreign policy, Gulf watchers have been left pondering what the US president elect intends to do in the region – whether Obama will opt for continuity or change, and how the anticipated strategic ‘pivot’ to Afghanistan will affect Gulf policy. Issue 841, 21 November 2008. more
First Saudi Arabia, now Jordan – Qatar mends regional relations
The impending official visit of the Jordanian royal couple to Doha signals another step in Qatar’s efforts to rebuild regional relations that were, in part at least, hurt by Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel’s irreverent reporting of regional leaderships. The mid-November visit of Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi to Qatar suggested that bilateral relations were truely on the mend, following months of ‘peace offerings’ which included the appointment of an ambassador to Doha and the exchange of messages between King Abdullah II and Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani. King Abdullah visited late last year for talks with Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani (HBJ) – a must given Qatar’s role as a key interlocuter in a range of Middle East disputes – and as GSN went to press it was announced that with Queen Rania he would start a two-day official visit on 24 November. Issue 841, 21 November 2008. more
Moody's: Islamic finance needs more sophistication
According to the latest Moody’s Investors Service report, Islamic finance is enjoying soaring demand, but requires more sophistication. The autumn 2008 report notes a “dramatic surge” in new Islamic finance institutions (IFIs) attracted by “soaring profits.” The report said this was due to demand for Islamic finance services as retail sector needs remain far from being optimally served by the banking industry, and strong government support. Issue 841, 21 November 2008.more
Bankers see GCC project finance market coming back in 2009
New structures are required, and participating bank numbers may be reduced, but the GCC’s syndicated loan market should hit its stride again in 2009, according to project financiers canvassed by GSN. Issue 840, 7 November 2008.more
Europeans on top in Saudi Arabia as manufacturers vie for combat aircraft sales in GCC
The Saudi Eurofighter purchase has given the European consortium a vital lead in the long-term market for the RSAF’s eventual replacement of some 178 strike aircraft by around 2020. Boeing may yet sell F-15s to the RSAF, but if the United States is betting on major sales in the Gulf, it is to Iraq and the UAE, not the Kingdom. France is also a player, with its hopes for major combat aircraft sales analysed by GSN in an article below. Issue 840, 7 November 2008. more
Saudi foreign policy: Obama will find a self-confident Kingdom that states its terms
In little over three years of rule, King Abdullah’s Saudi Arabia has steadily gained in diplomatic confidence. It’s not just because of its wealth that Riyadh is now a major destination on the foreign policy map for international leaders. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a partner that knows its own mind, able to forge policy that is in line with the government’s view of national self-interest but which also pushes a positive global and regional agenda. Issue 840, 7 November 2008. more
Middle Eastern women: huge achievements, but their full potential remains untapped
In a sign of changing times, the UK Conservative Party’s Middle East Council (CMEC) hosted a forum on 28 October in London to highlight the achievements of Middle Eastern women, and discuss what remains to be done to improve their rights. The panel included Iranian professor of politics and women’s studies at York University Baroness Haleh Afshar, First Secretary at Bahrain’s embassy in London Zeina Hamad Al-Khalifa and Stratreal Foundation’s corporate philanthropy head Sandra Al-Gudady, an Iraqi-Jordanian. Issue 840, 7 November 2008. more
GCC power-brokers rally behind banks to counter credit crunch contagion
GCC policy-makers are taking decisive steps to shore up confidence, as local markets suffer from global financial meltdown, tumbling oil prices and wavering enthusiasm. In articles below, GSN talks to key GCC and international players about the regional impacts of a global crisis. Troubled institutions can expect support, but US banks and others looking for a further injection from sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) may be disappointed. Issue 839, 24 October 2008. more
Iran’s GCC and European business ties a concern for US Treasury
With the international community’s spotlight pointing firmly at Iranian financial institutions for their potential links to so-called weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorist financing activities, the view from Washington is that Iran is making increased use of its business ties with the GCC countries, and branches of its banking institutions in Europe and elsewhere to disguise illegal activities. Issue 838, 10 October 2008.more
Global financing waves lash GCC project finance market
Liquidity has been reined right back across the GCC’s hitherto thriving project finance market as global financial markets have gone into an unprecedented freefall in recent weeks. However, sponsors of a $20bn or so raft of forthcoming Gulf-based infrastructure schemes in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere may just avoid much of the financing uncertainty being suffered by other project developers across the world owing to elastic timing schedules that have seen financing target dates pushed back. Issue 838, 10 October 2008. more
GCC numbers getting bigger, say insurers
Credit crunch jitters are starting to affect the region, but there remains huge potential in several financial sectors, including the Gulf insurance market. Premium volumes generated within the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) market have risen by 20% over the past five years, but they still represent just 0.17% of the global insurance industry, according to Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) insurance business development unit director James Sutherland. QFC has drawn in high-profile names such as the Aon, AIG, American Life Insurance Company (Alico), Axa, HSBC Insurance Brokers, Marsh and Zurich groups since its creation in 2005. Issue 837, 26 September 2008.more
GCC single currency plan acquires new momentum in an uncertain world
Turbulent times push everyone to buck up their thinking – and in this respect, Gulf Co-operation Council governments are no different from their international counterparts. Soaring oil revenues may provide Arabian states with a wealth cushion against global volatility; but an economic storm that has halved the number of top US investment banks in the course of a single week poses dangers for everyone. In this difficult context, GCC governments have started facing up to the practicalities of implementing their much-discussed plan for the creation of a single currency. In an uncertain global economy, a particularly strong attraction is the role that monetary union could play in fostering the development of an integrated regional capital market. Issue 837, 26 September 2008.more
US candidates struggle to forge distinctive Middle East manifestos
GSN has braved a welter of forums, brown bag lunches and fundraisers to get a closer look at the Obama and McCain camps’ regional policy plans. The conclusion: the candidates’ Middle East manifestos are largely similar, with the emphasis on toughness and smart diplomacy. Obama is more focused on Afghanistan, while McCain remains Iraq-minded – but the endless qualifications added to each pronouncement by the candidates’ minders mean it is still near impossible to draw firm conclusions on the USA’s policy direction in 2009-12. Issue 837, 26 September 2008. more
Old style sponsorship to go as Saudis move to overhaul an outmoded labour regime
Domestic human rights campaigns and international pressure have combined to persuade an increasingly image-conscious government down the path of a reform that has social and economic implications for the whole region. Issue 837, 26 September 2008. more
Obama versus McCain: What the US presidential elections could mean for the region
Interest is growing in the Gulf about the potential impact of a new US administration on the region, and on the West’s long-running reliance on Middle East energy. In a first pre-election analysis, GSN examines the main camps, their advisors and general policy orientations. A second part of this analysis from Washington will follow in GSN 837, focusing on the implications of an Obama or McCain victory on what remain the key theatres of US foreign policy: Iraq, Iran and the GCC states. Issue 836, 15 September 2008.more
While many GCC-based companies are looking to regional stock markets to grow their capital, cases of fraud and financial irregularities have also increased in these still immature markets. It is a worrying trend that ambitious – and anxious – authorities know they must address. Issue 834, 25 July 2008.more
Construction material producers eye global upstream opportunities to keep up with demand
Soaring prices and the short supply of materials are threatening the regional construction industry, prompting some of the region’s producers to consider ‘backward integration’ strategies to secure the natural resources needed for finished or semi-finished building materials. Issue 834, 25 July 2008.more
Iran and its Arabian neighbours: ties that bind and tensions that persist
Closer ties with the GCC states are developing into a key priority for Iran as it seeks to promote an agenda of regional solutions to regional problems, in the hope that its Arabian Peninsula neighbours will become gradually less reliant on what Tehran sees as US and Western security policy direction. But the Iranians will have to defuse GCC exasperation with the more ideological and sectarian facets of their strategy – a mistrust that is deeply rooted even among Arabian advocates of pragmatic engagement, GSN’s soundings have found. Issue 832, 30 June 2008. more
Remaking Palestine: Gulf investors flock to Bethlehem in Tony Blair’s latest real estate play
A visit to the West Bank showed again that tough political questions, not access to money, pose the Palestinians’ biggest problems. But finance can play a major role in helping the Palestinians’ lot, and the so-called Quartet’s celebrity envoy Tony Blair’s mid-May investment drive managed to raise considerable sums from backers led by major Gulf real estate companies and their allies among the handful of bulge bracket Palestinian investors. Issue 830, 30 May 2008. more
Petraeus takes over Centcom focused on NW Frontier, Iraq not GCC
The politically untouchable General David Petraeus has passed comfortably through his Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) confirmation hearing, clearing the way for the Multinational Forces Iraq commander to take over US Central Command (Centcom). This will place Petraeus in overall command of the Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan war zones, plus the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and Horn of Africa regions. Issue 830, 30 May 2008. more
Regional ECAs come of age as non-oil exports take on greater importance
Oil-producing Middle East economies have started to report success in their longstanding efforts to diversify away from dependence on hydrocarbons exports. In a range of markets this trend has been encouraged by growing business for national and regional export credit agencies. Issue 829, 16 May 2008.more
Somali pirates take on allcomers in Gulf of Aden
An increasing number of pirate attacks is likely in the Gulf of Aden throughout this year, according to GSN’s sources in the maritime security world, as the ‘Somali Marines’ stake their claim to the waterway.
Considering the concentration of Western naval power in the Gulf of Aden, mostly part of Combined Task Force 150 focused on Somalia, many analysts have been surprised that pirates have not backed down in their current confrontation with the international community. However, a GSN contact gave an alternate view: “The Somali Marines have learned that even the large numbers of Coalition vessels in the Gulf [of Aden] cannot seriously impact them because to a helicopter or other intelligence collection system, pirate boats look just like any other vessel.” Issue 828, 2 May 2008. more
Credit squeeze bites at the edges: GCC ‘satellite markets’ test underwriters’ appetites
The Gulf Co-operation Council region has so far shown itself to be relatively insulated from calamities in the global financing markets, but several of what financiers call the GCC’s ‘satellite countries’ remain challenging propositions for bankers and insurers, although some big deals – notably Yemen LNG – are still coming to market. Issue 828, 2 May 2008.more
Who’s who on the Arab rich list
Forbes magazine’s latest listing of the world’s richest people counted plenty of individuals and families based in the Gulf. GSN lists the wealthiest Gulfis giving Forbes’ Arab rich list ranking, along with our own take on the players and their recent activity. Issue 826, 4 April 2008. more
Iran continues its penetration of Iraq, and woos Moqtada towards Qom
With Moqtada Al-Sadr under intense pressure to unleash his militiamen from their six-month truce which expired in late February, Iran’s hand is growing noticeably stronger in Iraq. The trend was visible in Tehran’s high-handed decision to walk away from a long-overdue third round of trilateral talks with Iraq and the United States. Iran may return to the negotiating table – and it will do so from a position of growing assurance. Issue 824, 29 February 2008. more
Saudi interest in US vessels sends warning to European defence industry
The US Navy has been pushing hard to secure GCC buyers for its littoral combat ships, putting down a marker of its intentions to get into Saudi and other regional markets that traditional European suppliers cannot ignore. Issue 824, 29 February 2008. more
Omani project points to booming trend in Gulf smelter construction
Aluminium smelters are all the rage across the GCC. The comparative advantage of low energy costs combined with forecasts of almost insatiable global demand for the metal are driving a policy of rapid industrial diversification which is being replicated in country after country. Issue 824, 29 February 2008.more
Congress gears up to block Saudi munitions deal, US government works to save other Gulf sales
The Saudi Joint Direct Attack Munition deal is already in deep trouble on Capital Hill, and the US government has begun to split up elements of its $20bn arms package for the Gulf to reduce the chances that individual deals will get snagged on Congressional opposition to the JDAM order. Issue 823, 15 February 2008. more
Project finance market’s robustness under the microscope ‘post sub-prime’
Bankers and sponsors’ success at maintaining aggressive pricing and large commitments for the next wave of big ticket projects in the GCC will be a big test of lending appetite. As credit crunch concerns mount world-wide, the Gulf has what it takes to weather the global crisis, but it is not immune from all aspects of the downside – not only of the sub-prime debacle but also of other pressures on credit providers, starting with spiralling EPC costs. Issue 822, 1 February 2008.moree’
Special Report Part II: Gulf companies target African energy plays
In the second part of this Special report, compiled in association with GSN’s sister publication African Energy, GSN continues its examination of the companies buying into emerging African markets, looking at players based in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We start with the most recent deal, Premier Oil’s Abu Dhabi tie up. Issue 822, 1 February 2008.more
Special Report Part I: Gulf companies target African energy plays
A new wave of Gulf investment is seeking out prime stakes in Africa’s resources boom, underlined by the announcement that Gulf Finance House plans an economic zone for energy firms operating in Libya. In articles below, GSN examines some emerging players in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman. In the second part of this analysis, to be published in the next issue, GSN will focus on a range of other companies. Issue 821, 21 January 2008.more
Sarko mixes new France and old with naval, nuclear breakthrough
A state visit to Qatar, cultural bridge-building in Riyadh and the consolidation of longstanding military ties with Abu Dhabi’s agreement to host France’s first permanent naval base in the Gulf. President Nicolas Sarkozy crammed a lot into his four-day trip to Arabia, making a commercial and diplomatic impact sufficiently impressive to outflank, for a couple of days at least, even the pervasive media attention lavished on his supermodel girlfriend Carla Bruni, not to mention US President George W Bush, on his first regional visit at the same time. Issue 821, 21 January 2008.more
US intelligence casts doubt on Iraq blowback risk to neighbours
Across the US intelligence community there is a recognition that the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq is decreasing – to be replaced by Iraqi jihadists. This trend suggests that following the US-led surge’s successes the Iraqi conflict will enter a new phase, where the threat of ‘blowback’ may be reduced for the Gulf states but where Iraq itself remains in civil war and Iraqi-born jihadists emerge as a global threat. Issue 818, 23 November 2007. more
GCC states engage Iran to do business and deter confrontation
Torn between fear of Iran’s nuclear potential and the pragmatic economic and political need for a good relationship with a powerful neighbour, the Arab Gulf principalities are simultaneously signalling their security concerns while giving a friendly welcome to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s roving diplomacy. Iran has reaped economic rewards, but political suspicions remain. Issue 818, 23 November 2007: more
Calls for GCC exchange rate change grow louder
An international bank with a strong Gulf presence has decided it’s time for business to make the public case for an end to the dollar peg, as the Gulf Co-operation Council currency dispute becomes ever more public. Issue 818, 23 November 2007.more
US spooks see fraying regional counter-terrorism co-operation
The single point of consensus is that six years on from the attacks on New York and Washington, the United States has uncomfortably little to show for its huge investment in blood and treasure. GSN sounded out the US intelligence community to get a view of how American perceptions of the ‘global war on terror’ were shaping up. The answers were uncomfortable. Issue 816, 26 October 2007. more
GCC currency elusive as governments protect ‘national interests’
It was just an accident of planning that International Monetary Fund managing director Rodrigo de Rato, who surprisingly tendered his resignation for ‘personal reasons’ this summer, was preparing for his last visit – to Saudi Arabia – as GSN went to press. Saudi Arabia has long been a major contributor to and shareholder of the IMF (where it has its own dedicated executive director, Abdullah Al-Azzaz, an honour shared only by the Fund’s biggest players). And the Fund’s role in maintaining global financial balances is understood by the top leadership: the IMF delegation that attended de Rato’s last visit to Riyadh, in 2006, was delighted that King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz was not content to go through the formalities, but spent an hour questioning de Rato and commenting on major global issues. Issue 816, 26 October 2007. more
Status of GCC expatriates left uncertain ahead of December summit
The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states have long had an ambiguous attitude towards their expatriate workforce. They rely on them to do the low-paid dirty work – construction, cleaning, manual labour – that their own nationals prove unwilling to do. And yet Gulf governments are increasingly aware that their own populations need employment. The past few years have seen the promotion of ‘Omanisation’, ‘Bahrainisation’ and so on – policies which expatriate companies working in the GCC say are often well-meaning but badly thought out. Issue 815, 12 October 2007. more
Centcom schmoozes GCC as USA seeks new security consensus
Centcom’s Fallon has been taking a diplomatic approach in an attempt to firm up the GCC stance on Iran. US officials told GSN the new Gulf Security Dialogue was registering positive results, but apart from easing through new arms sales much remains to be done to persuade GCC leaders to view regional security risks from an American perspective. Issue 814, 28 September 2007.more
Arms sales give one area of consensus over ‘Gulf security’
In contrast to the GCC states’ apparent reticence to engage in a truly collective security architecture, there is broad agreement that the United States’ Gulf Security Dialogue (GSD) is likely to develop into a significant platform for developing and planning arms sales. The GSD has played a major role in bringing together the requirements mentioned in the forthcoming $20bn arms package for the GCC, which is winding its way through Capitol Hill. Issue 814, 28 September 2007.more
Takaful: the ethical alternative
Insurance has become one of the most fast-growing emerging markets sectors, and in Islamic countries and those others with a big Muslim population, conventional insurance’s Islamic counterpart, takaful, is witnessing massive growth. According to ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service, total takaful premiums exceeded $2bn in 2005, and are expected to reach $7.4bn by 2015. Governments seem particularly keen on promoting takaful to tap into large sections of their population that have stayed away from insurance for religious reasons. Issue 813, 21 September 2007.more
Same products, widely different approaches across the GCC
From Bahrain, which has sought to use its traditional banking and regulatory strengths as a springboard to become a global leader in Islamic finance, to an apparently reluctant Oman, authorities in the GCC have taken strikingly different approaches to sharia-compliant financing. Issue 813, 21 September 2007.more
Navcent dissects Iran’s intentions as tensions increase in the Gulf’s crowded waters
US strategic thinkers have been examining how rising tensions with Iran, especially over its operations in Iraq, could spill over and threaten stability in the GCC region. Issue 812, 14 September 2007.more
Saudi Miksa deal at the heart of Sarkozy’s GCC agenda
While Paris remains close to several smaller Gulf states, the relationship with Riyadh will be pivotal for France’s new president – and securing the long-awaited Miksa defence deal would be a symbolic and lucrative prize. Issue 809, 6 July 2007.more
London belongs to me: Gulf rulers continue to buy up choice British properties
Rich Gulf individuals have long been discreet buyers of London real estate, and even now that their local markets are booming, many leading sheikhs remain big players in the British capital’s red hot market. Issue 809, 6 July 2007.more
Kuwait steers course away from failing GCC monetary union
Exasperation with sluggish progress towards a single currency, and a lack of political commitment to the GCC project, has persuaded Kuwait to concentrate on its own national interests. While its GCC partners complain about Kuwait’s move, it argues that the regional boom has undermined integration – so why bother pretending about a single currency? Issue 806, 25 May 2007. more
Bahrain cements US ties as Centcom gets busy
Washington is increasing defence co-operation where it can across the GCC region, but recent exercises show that Bahrain remains the United States’ closest military ally. Issue 805, 11 May 2007.more
Region registers growth, improved reform performance, but much remains to do
An extensive new World Bank report – The Middle East and North Africa Region, Economic Developments and Prospects 2007: Job Creation in an Era of High Growth – shows that the wider MENA region has made real progress in the last four years, and the Gulf states are mainly performing better than before. Issue 805, 11 May 2007.more
GCC should fear Iran’s industrial spies, not its agent provocateurs
From industrial espionage to the cultivation of potential agents, Iranian intelligence is seeking to gain advantage in the Gulf monarchies – but the actual threat should not be over-stated. Issue 804, 27 April 2007. more
Saudi/UAE border negotiations grind to a halt in regional stalemate
In a region where borders were mostly settled years ago, a handful of territorial disputes involving GCC states are still to be negotiated, starting with the revived Saudi/UAE spat that affects the massive Shaybah oil field. Issue 804, 27 April 2007. more
‘Terrorist financing’: New targets, new tactics
As the wave of litigation against Saudi and other alleged ‘terrorist financiers’ seems to recede, US lawyers are stepping up the pressure on high-profile financial institutions. Issue 803, 13 April 2007.more
Orange juice diplomacy holds a glimmer of hope for the region
Iraq is far from turning a corner in its struggle to restore a semblance of peace and implement workable federal governance arrangements, but the Baghdad security conference did represent a potential start of a process to reduce tensions in the region. GSN seeks to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the current dangerous turn in the region’s geopolitics. Issue 801, 16 March 2007. more
Liquidity pressures, emerging asset classes force open the potential financing base for GCC projects
The Gulf is enjoying enormous liquidity, while at the same time the demands for capital from banks, property, equity and other investors are rising, as ever more project and other investment opportunities present themselves within the region. This dynamic is increasingly reflected in project financiers’ search for new sources of capital; the market’s traditional standbys, of bank and ECA financing, are being accompanied by newer instruments in complex PF structures – and this trend will accelerate further in 2007. Issue 800, 2 March 2007.more
GCC military buyers are less big spenders than prudent investors
Under new management, the 18-22 February eighth bi-annual International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) attracted the usual mixture of hyperbole and fanciful speculation concerning the multi-billion dollar deals being mulled by the Gulf States. Yet there remained the undeniable impression that the cash-rich Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states were in fact relatively frugal and highly-discerning shoppers in the defence marketplace. Issue 800, 2 March 2007.more
Militaries, culture vultures bid adieu to France’s Chirac
Defence and culture comprise the twin prongs of Paris’ reinvigorated Gulf diplomacy, with art in Abu Dhabi and an officer school for Qataris the tools of Jacques Chirac’s parting effort to underpin French connections with Arabia. This unusual approach could pay political dividends for a country that is realistic about the limits to its regional influence. Issue 798, 2 February 2007.more
Serious work and play for Gulf monarchies’ elite youth
Excellence in sport and political ambition, even recognition by the Davos forum as next generation global leaders, mark out the elite of twenty-something Gulf royals – at least those in the ruling families that are actively encouraging younger talent to come through. Issue 797, 19 January 2007.more
) require a subscription.