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The Abu Dhabi ruling family has earned international respect for its discreet behaviour and traditionally unostentatious stewardship of its huge wealth, so that some senior Al-Nahyan were genuinely embarrassed at the media circus surrounding Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed’s takeover of British football club Manchester City.

Sheikh Khalid Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has married a daughter of Education Minister Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al-Nahayan.

UAE Prime Minister and Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum has been busy as usual.

In the immediate post-9/11 years Gulf watchers became used to the level of ‘Saudi-bashing’ coming out of the United States. Sensationalist authors churned out books such as Princes of Darkness: The Saudi Assault on the West, or Hatred’s Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism that sought to explore the flaws in Saudi culture and religious thought that had allowed the Kingdom to produce 15 out of the 19 hijackers.

Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is playing a canny game ahead of May’s general election. It is only ten months since Kuwait went to the polls – and two years since the previous election – a political cycle that illustrates the pattern of confrontation between parliamentarians and ministers which has repeatedly blocked legislation and approval of major projects.

The mood in Bahrain was edgy in the run-up to the 26 March trial of 35 individuals including Haq leader Hassan Mushaima,

Compared to the likes of the Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority or the Dubai group of funds, not much is known about the Omani State General Reserve Fund (SGRF) or how it makes its investments. But some details have now emerged following its acquisition of a majority stake in the AIM-listed, BVI-incorporated Equest Investment Balkans Ltd (EIB). The SGRF holds 32.27% of EIB, which invests primarily in Bulgaria and Romania. Following the acquisition of a stake, the fund named two Omani directors, Warith Mubarak Al-Kharousi and Faisal Amur Mohammed Al-Riyani to the EIB board.

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Juma Al-Maktoum died on 23 March

On 18 March, Sultan Qaboos received Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak for talks.

The region stretching from the Bosphorus to the Gulf must accommodate itself to a new strategic reality, as the United States – under new management and with a harrowing roster of domestic issues to resolve – disengages from Iraq, while focusing hard on Afghanistan and its neighbours.

Yemen is trying to counter the threat of falling oil production by bringing in more IOCs – with recent changes to the hydrocarbons law intended to entice back the majors, rather than giving new incentives to the minnows who have helped build up its industry. The emergence of export LNG is an added incentive to invest, provided gas-gathering systems and other infrastructure can be efficiently developed. President Saleh is looking to old friends in Russia to help develop such projects, but all participants are welcome during a period when many western IOCs are confronted with financial pressures, and equity stakes will become available as firms seek to cash in their assets.

Khalifa Bin Zayed: Exxon meeting

It will take more than a reshuffle to resolve the deep-seated contradictory pressures within Saudi Arabian politics and society. Even so, King Abdullah’s recent personnel changes send a powerful signal at a time of renewed succession concerns.

Will Mohammad Khatami secure the backing of Rahbar (Supreme Leader) Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for his presidential comeback bid this summer? Unlikely as this might have seemed even weeks ago, Iranian political observers, whose debates GSN has joined in the past week, are agreed that this may be the decisive question

The extent of Dubai’s economic downturn is preoccupying many GSN readers. Here are some short attempts at answers to some deep, difficult questions: How deep is the crisis? – Dubai’s economic survival rests on its ability to refinance debt, but the extent of that debt is unknown.