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Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is exploiting uprisings in the north, south and centre of the country to pursue its stated aim of a sharia caliphate, putting the US in an increasingly perilous situation.

There are a number of difficulties still to overcome, but the neighbours finally appear to have made progress in efforts to settle long-running border disputes and assign landmarks.

Recent Turkish and Iranian military strikes on Kurdish separatist groups inside Iraqi Kurdistan threaten to undo years of patient diplomacy at a crucial moment.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Irin) and the more recently created Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) are developing capabilities that increase their threat to shipping and other targets in the Gulf, Caspian Sea and Gulf of Oman, according to research presented by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

The role of the anti-Qadhafi camp’s most prominent Arab supporters is likely to come under new scrutiny, as sources suggest that Abu Dhabi could play a big role in helping the Benghazi rebels to resume oil production

Nawaf Obaid, a researcher at the King Faisal Centre, has written an article in the Washington Post describing an about-turn in Saudi foreign policy, the possible deployment of Saudi special forces abroad and the end of a US-Saudi relationship based on security for oil. But Riyadh continues to look to the US for arms and military training.

In a show of force, and an attempt to clear mass protests around Pearl Roundabout, the Bahraini security services with the help of its GCC 'brothers' have been deployed across the country. The long-term implications for Bahrain, politically, socially and economically, remain unknown; however, its ramifications could spread beyond the island's borders.

Heavy-handed reaction to demonstrations across the country have resulted in at least 34 deaths, revealing Maliki’s authoritarian approach to dealing with a wide range of grievances

The GCC states have differing views on the Iranian threat, with hardliners pushing for military action and others preferring the diplomatic route

Foreign minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal proposed a Nato-backed Arab army to destroy the Iranian-backed Hizbollah movement in Lebanon in 2008. Documents released by WikiLeaks suggest that certain military operations against Al-Qaeda in Yemen, claimed by Sanaa to be the work of Yemeni forces, were carried out by the US.

UK troops set to leave in 2011, Car bomb kills northern rebels

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

The US Defence Department was ordered to draw up detailed contingency plans for launching military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Attacks on Christians in Iraq have increased in recent weeks. Defence secretary Robert Gates has announced that the US will boost support to Yemen following October’s foiled bomb plot

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

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