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
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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
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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.
Post-financial crisis environment has put GCC risk under a harsher spotlight
The effects of the global downturn on Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have forced traders, financiers and insurers to assess GCC credit and political risk more closely. And some firms are expanding their GCC teams to do so. Issue 890, 26 November 2010.more
Search for security underpins Iran’s economic co-operation with Iraq
The confusion of a post-Saddam Iraq has presented Iran with countless opportunities to extend its tentacles of influence. GSN outlines the Islamic Republic’s strategy for keeping its rival at bay Issue 889, 12 November 2010.more
Iranian threat focuses minds of GCC leaders
The hand of Tehran – and its formidable IRGC – reaches far into the Gulf states, throwing up questions of allegiance and fears of a US or Israeli-orchestrated military strike. Each state has a different experience, and the region is divided over how to deal with subversive activities within and across its borders Issue 888, 29 October 2010.more
GCC leaders promote ties in London, shy away from Iran confrontation
Late October saw a flurry of activity in London aimed at boosting Gulf Co-Operation Council-UK ties. If the crowded programme had been the result of a co-ordinated plan by the UK’s (relatively) new coalition government it might be seen as a reaffirmation of UK-Gulf ties organised by a dynamic new administration. Issue 888, 29 October 2010.more
High-profile deals keep region on track
Recent financings worth a total $1.3bn for two Omani power projects and a $2.2bn package for Emirates Steel have maintained momentum in the GCC project finance market, according to participants canvassed by GSN Issue 888, 29 October 2010.more
Debt restructuring tests Gulf’s ability to deal with insolvency claims
The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries were hardest hit by the global economic and financial crisis in the Middle East and North Africa region, but they recovered quickly as demand for oil – driven by rapid recovery in emerging markets – picked up and the financial sector stabilised, according the World Bank’s October Regional Economic Outlook report. Issue 888, 29 October 2010.more
Markets look for leadership to overcome fallout from Al-Gosaibi/Al-Sanea dispute
The fallout from the dispute between two major Saudi business families continues to concern creditors, regional banks and international monetary authorities. Conventional wisdom has it that issues surrounding the Al-Gosaibi/Maan Al-Sanea defaults will be resolved by the authorities. But the Saudi system’s slow public response to the situation was undermining confidence even before international courts got involved Issue 887, 15 October 2010.more
Shifting global balance places ever greater weight on emerging markets
The influence and financial muscle of Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states was more apparent than ever at the 6-9 October International Monetary Fund/World Bank annual meetings in Washington. Issue 887, 15 October 2010.more
Washington pushes ‘major rearmament deal’ with GCC to boost domestic and regional confidence
Commitments by the United States to strengthen its Gulf allies have been confirmed with the public agreement of a multi-billion dollar defence deal intended to shift the balance of power from tipping into Iran’s favour, while allowing the US to safely reduce its boots-on-the-ground military presence in the region and create jobs at home Issue 886, 1 October 2010.more
Nabucco keen to secure gas for Europe
European Union-backed Nabucco Gas Pipeline International (NGPI) is pushing to secure Iraqi gas to flow through its planned pipeline, which would supply Europe by-passing the EU’s biggest supplier Russia. Issue 886, 1 October 2010.more
MI5 warns of Yemeni, Somali threat
Following the failed attempt of a Nigerian engineering student Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab to blow up Northwest Airlines’ Flight 253 over the United States last December, Yemen received unprecedented global attention. Issue 885, 17 September 2010.more
After the referendum, Turkey’s regional position set for consolidation
Turkey is coming to play a central role in strategic thinking in the Arab/Islamic world, as well as in the West and Eurasian zones. Regional trade is booming, Ankara’s relationship with Israel has become strained while Turkey has emerged as a key player in Iraqi Kurdistan; and as a nuclear Iran emerges, Turkey’s relations with the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states may well become central to regional strategies. Issue 885, 17 September 2010.more
Operation New Dawn: challenges facing the new US mission in Iraq
Operation Iraqi Freedom ended on 1 September after more than seven years of US ‘combat operations’ in Iraq. GSN marks the occasion by analysing the new US military mission, Operation New Dawn Issue 884, 3 September 2010. more
Bad debt provisions exceed $20bn
Gulf banks have spent over $20bn on provisions for bad debt and lost investments since 2008 but are showing signs of returning to high profitability, according to ratings agency Standard and Poor’s. Issue 884, 3 September 2010. more
Gulf mourns deaths of leading old-school liberals
Two prominent Gulf figures died in August – Saudi Arabia’s labour minister, former diplomat and poet Ghazi Al-Gosaibi and Kuwaiti author and academic Ahmed Al-Baghdadi Issue 883, 27 August 2010.more
Abdullah on the move in attempt to defuse tribunal tensions
The Saudi monarch started a four-nation tour on 28 July aimed at strengthening inter-Arab relations. The King flew from his summer residence in Casablanca for the first leg of the mission, to Cairo, for talks with ailing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Issue 882, 30 July 2010.more
The Middle East project finance market has been boosted by recent deals in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and the opening of US export credit agency Export-Import Bank in Iraq Issue 882, 30 July 2010.more
Mayall tour
UK deputy chief of defence staff Lieutenant General Simon Mayall was in the Gulf region in early July for meetings. Issue 881, 16 July 2010.more
Human rights panel
The Gulf Co-operation Council has finalised plans to set up a new regional Commission for Human Rights, which the GCC claims will employ independent and impartial experts. Issue 881, 16 July 2010.more
Petraeus returns to the fray as ‘Runaway General’ McChrystal resigns over magazine article
The Obama presidency has acted decisively to remove a dissenting voice from the top military team, opening the way for a further reshuffle of US generals, but not necessarily a change of tack on the operational front in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Gulf Issue 880, 2 July 2010.more
GCC looks on as Petraeus job threatens to lock US into AfPak conflict
Gulf Co-operation Council states have long been the focus of efforts by US administrations and their regional military structure Central Command (Centcom) to enforce the Pax Americana. But with some GCC allies already feeling distanced from high-level contacts in Washington, the resignation of General Stanley McChrystal as head of US Forces and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and his replacement by Centcom commander General David Petraeus, threatens to leave them feeling even more distanced from the US civil-military relationship. Issue 880, 2 July 2010.more
Key officers in the US command
A new head will have to be appointed to US Central Command (Centcom). In the interim, deputy Centcom commander and US Marine Corps Lieutenant General John Allen will serve as acting commander while Petraeus is deployed to Afghanistan. Issue 880, 2 July 2010.more
Saudi Arabia leads way on project financing deals
A cluster of new financing facilities has raised well over $10bn, boosting the GCC’s project finance market Issue 880, 2 July 2010.more
Rising tensions between the two neighbours and complications involving Saudi Arabia, rather than any financial or technical issues, may have led to the estimated $4.5bn Friendship Bridge between Bahrain and Qatar being cancelled, GSN was told – although financial strains were also apparent in the mega-project. Issue 879, 18 June 2010.more
Saudi mediation cools tensions in Middle Gulf
Recent tensions between Manama and Doha are forecast to cool following reported mediation efforts by the Saudis. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Hamad on 27 May rang Saudi King Abdullah to thank him for helping to appoint a new Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) head, a rotating post. Sheikh Hamad also rang Bahrain’s King Hamad to praise him for accepting the Saudi initiative. Qatari premier and foreign minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani was in Riyadh for talks with King Abdullah on 21 May. Issue 878, 4 June 2010.more
Expat banker’s complaint to UN rights body could set precedent in Gulf
Expatriates in the Gulf are used to horror stories about exit permits refused, passports withheld and people being held indefinitely under house arrest, but most accept it as one of the risks of working in a developing country (GSN 835/14, GSN 765/1). Issue 878, 4 June 2010.more
Another day another GCC maritime spat
The shooting of Bahraini fisherman Adel Ali Mohammed by Qatar’s Coasts and Borders Security Department has once more highlighted tensions within the Gulf Co-operation Council region over maritime borders. It has also sparked debate in Bahrain over the impact that reclamation work is having on the local fishing industry. Issue 877, 21 May 2010.more
Import-dependent GCC faces up to food security problems as open market fails to deliver
With the cost of the GCC’s food imports expected to double by 2020, Gulf governments know they need to outsource agricultural production to more fertile countries. But this throws up some potentially explosive issues as richer countries are accused of imperialistic land-grabbing Issue 876, 7 May 2010.more
Pressure builds for F-22 sales to Gulf
If Iran acquires an advanced, ‘double-digit’ surface-to-air missile (SAM) from Russia or China, the only aircraft capable of operating safely within its airspace would be the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. The F-22 is extremely stealthy, with all-aspect, -40 dBsm radar cross-section signatures, and can operate within the engagement envelope of the S-300PMU series, which Iran is constantly accused of seeking to buy or reverse-engineer Issue 876, 7 May 2010.more
Border issues pose potential for conflict
Public tensions have died down following reports of a skirmish between Emirati and Saudi vessels that was blamed on a dispute over the route of the Dolphin pipeline which brings Qatari gas to the UAE (GSN 874/1). But outstanding border issues continue to stoke tensions in several Gulf jurisdictions, with upsurges in nationalist sentiment showing that feelings over territory and sovereignty remain important in states that are only a few decades old. Issue 875, 23 April 2010.more
Nuclear no longer a dirty word as enthusiastic Gulf states line up to develop industry
The civil nuclear plans of GCC and neighbouring states point to a new assertiveness among Gulf economies, whose need to diversify energy sources is greater than the temptation to keep up with regional nuclear leaders Iran and Israel Issue 875, 23 April 2010.more
Saudi-UAE naval clash over Dolphin pipeline points to brittle GCC relations
Both parties have yet to deny or confirm the incident, but a reported clash between Saudi and Emirati patrol boats has attracted much media attention and highlighted the potential for friction among GCC allies that has provoked renewed fears for Gulf security Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
Raytheon and MBDA fight for GCC missile sales
Despite the US company’s $170m deal with the UAE, European firms are proving increasingly strong competition for air-launched missile systems contracts Issue 872, 5 March 2010.more
Pentagon attacks quality control on missile defence programmes
Senior United States Department of Defence officials have criticised the defence industry for inadequate quality control on missile defence programmes, saying the administration planned to use more fixed-price contracts. Issue 874, 9 April 2010. more
US commits assets to GCC missile shield
As the international community debates its next steps on Iran’s nuclear programme, Washington has made a show of increasing its commitment to missile defence in the Gulf Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
How GCC systems fit into US plan
The United States’ announcement of the deployment of missile defence systems in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states signals a tougher tone towards Iran rather than any major new military initiative in the region. Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
US running out of options on Iran
The Obama administration is turning from engagement to containment as Tehran’s domestic crisis frustrates policy
United States policy on Iran is little clearer than it was the day President Barack Obama took office, according to GSN’s soundings among US diplomats and Central Command (Centcom) planners. Issue 870, 29 January 2010.more
Gulf states mediate in Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Saudi Arabia is taking a lead in helping to reconcile Fatah and Hamas to move ahead with the peace process Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Flight 253 scare sparks scramble for scanners
The attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on 25 December is a wake-up call for the Gulf’s many powerful air carriers and airports, and will lead to a new wave of procurement of whole-body imaging scanners and explosive trace detectors. For major transit hubs such as Dubai, the challenge will be particularly onerous. Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Iranian role in Iraq kidnapping disputed
The US State Department and the UK Foreign Office cannot agree whether Iran was behind the kidnapping of British computer expert Peter Moore in Baghdad in March 2007. The Americans point to a plot directed by Tehran, but the British insist that, although the kidnappers – Asaib Ahl Al-Haq (League of the Righteous) – had the backing of the Iranian government, they were not taking orders from it. Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Al-Qaeda’s Yemen connection concentrates minds
AQAP’s move to the global stage means President Ali Abdullah Saleh is back in fashion in Washington, and the US is sending increased military and development aid to Sanaa Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
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