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Politics: Oman has been governed since 1970 by Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said, the 14th ruler of the Al-Busaidi dynasty, founded in 1750. Qaboos, who deposed his father in a palace coup, relies on a variety of allies typically drawn from the merchant elite, rather than his relatively small family. He was briefly married but has no children or heir apparent; finalising the succession (which is likely to go to one of three cousins) is an increasingly pressing concern, as he has been seriously ill since mid-2014. The downward trend arrow on Oman’s political risk grade reflects the potential for instability, not only due to uncertainty over who will succeed, but also because a change in leadership could open the door to greater public pressure for political reform – from a population of whom roughly 45% are under 20 years old.

On 9 June, Maliki visited Erbil for the first time since November 2010, a visit followed, on 7 July, by Kurdish President Massoud Barzani visiting Baghdad. There were no breakthrough announcements following their meetings, though they have been seen as an acknowledgment that the two leaders need each other more than they have been prepared to admit.

Syria is looking increasingly isolated and at risk of civil war. A League of Arab States mission has failed to staunch the violence and Bashar Al-Assad’s government does not appear ready to give ground. The UN says more than 5,400 people have been killed since protests erupted in March; Syrian officials say 2,000 members of the security forces have died.

Politics: Oman has been governed since 1970 by Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said, the 14th ruler of the Al-Busaidi dynasty, founded in 1750. Qaboos, who deposed his father in a palace coup, relies on a variety of allies typically drawn from the merchant elite, rather than his relatively small family. He was briefly married but has no children or heir apparent; finalising the succession (likely to go to one of three cousins) is an increasingly pressing concern, as Qaboos has been seriously ill since mid-2014. GSN’s downward trend arrow reflects the potential for instability, due to uncertainty over who will succeed and the potential for greater public pressure for political reform – from a population of whom roughly 45% are under 20 years old.

Voter turnout in September for the election of half the purely consultative FNC was disappointing and it seems new members are not always consulted on policy. There has been heated debate this year after the government failed to consult the FNC before approving the 2012 budget.

The Saudi Royal Naval Forces took over the command of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 on 18 August from French forces.

King Salman Bin Abdelaziz has been in his palace in Neom since 12 August, following recent surgery. The monarch’s steady work schedule included a flurry of phone calls with world leaders on 7-9 September.

Mayhoola For Investment, a fund linked to Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, has almost doubled its stake in high-end accessories designer Anya Hindmarch, according to news reports. Mayhoola, thought to be an investment arm of the Qatar Luxury Group (which is owned by the Qatar Foundation), bought a 38.8% stake in the company worth £27m ($45m) in 2012, and in early August was reported to have paid £24.2m for a further 21.2% stake. Despite Mayhoola’s 60% share, Hindmarch retains control of the business through voting rights, The Independent said.

Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa’s son Sheikh Mohammed Bin Salman has graduated from King’s College London with an honours degree in war studies. Among his father’s titles are deputy supreme commander of the Bahrain Defence Force and first deputy prime minister. In a cable to Prince Salman, information affairs minister Isa Bin Abdulrahman Al-Hammadi wished the new graduate “success in his future career to serve the homeland under the royal leadership”.

Britain’s new defence minister, Michael Fallon, was in the Gulf on 22 September, and held meetings with King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa in Manama and Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdelaziz in Jeddah. Crown Prince Salman’s son Prince Mohammed Bin Salman was in attendance, as was assistant minister of defence Mohammed Al-Ayesh and chief of general staff General Abdulrahman Bin Saleh Al-Banyan. Fallon, the Conservative MP for Sevenoaks in south-east England, was named defence minister in a July reshuffle; his predecessor Philip Hammond remains highly involved in the region, having moved to the foreign ministry.

Princess Sara Bint Musaid Bin Abdelaziz has been appointed to the Family Affairs Council.

Foreign minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud was in Washington on 14 October for the launch of the first United States Saudi Arabia Strategic Dialogue, holding talks with secretary of state Mike Pompeo on bilateral security and economic ties.

Dubai Crown Prince and Executive Council of Dubai chairman Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum took part in a mass cycling event in downtown Dubai on 20 November.

Iranian forces on 4 January hijacked the South Korean tanker Hankuk Chemi, in an apparent effort to pressurise Seoul into releasing some $7bn in oil-related assets that are frozen for breaching US sanctions. It came just a few days after a thwarted mine attack against the Liberian-flagged tanker MT Pola off the Iraqi port of Basra, following a campaign of intensified mining attacks on tankers in the Red Sea, most recently against vessels discharging oil products at the Saudi ports of Jeddah and Al-Shuqaiq.

Princess Tarfa Bint Hadhlul Bin Abdelaziz’s death was announced by the Royal Court on 8 January. She was a daughter of Hadhlul, son of King Abdelaziz Ibn Saud.