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Sultan Qaboos made an unusually forceful speech at the opening of the fifth session of the Council of Oman on 31 October, his first public address since the protests. He promised to combat unemployment and called on audit authorities to use the “full force of the law” against those tempted by corruption.

On 16 November, opposition-led demonstrators stormed the parliamentary building, calling for prime minister Nasser Mohammed Al- Ahmed Al-Sabah to resign. Their anger was directed at the recent corruption and bribery scandals that have rocked the government, and an October constitutional ruling preventing the opposition from grilling the prime minister over the illegal money transfers.

Dubai’s economy started to register growth in 2010, with GDP growing by 2.2%, and 4% growth is expected in the current year, though increasing uncertainties over the performance of US and European economies may dampen expectations.

The Syrian National Council (SNC) convened in Istanbul on 2 October to announce its official formation and outline its structure and goals. The council set out the formation of a ‘national body to represent the Syrian revolution, build a modern civil state and achieve democratic change’.

While Al-Thani rule has been largely uncontested by other leading families in the emirate, there has been some instability as different politicised alliances vied for power over the decades. Limited democracy is being slowly introduced. Since 1999, elections have been held for a Central Municipal Council, but voter disillusionment has been reflected in falling turnout.

Voter registration for elections for the 83-member Majlis Al- Shura is already underway. Despite the introduction of limited democracy, the Majlis Al-Shura remains a junior institution with restricted powers.

The Kurdistan region of Iraq has great successes within its grasp, but remains threatened by its still unstable relationship with the rest of the country and neighbours in the region. The Iraqi parliament will soon start discussion on a series of oil sector laws which will potentially enshrine the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s right to issue contracts and hold licensing rounds.

Stormy weather forecast for Dubai banks, US and Eurozone crises shake GCC bond market, Sound fundamentals, Jadwa forecasts long-term fiscal problems

Qatar has been largely unaffected by the wave of protests and calls for reform throughout the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and wider Middle East. There have been no recorded protests, and the Qatari government has not followed other GCC countries in announcing measures to address domestic issues.

Prime minister Marouf Bakhit was in Abu Dhabi on 17 April to seek financial support at a meeting with UAE deputy prime minister and presidential affairs minister Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. Sheikh Mansour said the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) was looking at ways of giving Jordan a more central focus for economic and developmental support. The GCC is setting up a $20bn fund to assist development in the region, particularly in the poorer states of Bahrain and Oman (GSN 896/13).

Dubai Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, has revealed $4bn of debt in addition to the $6bn already declared. The group is now looking to restructure all $10bn, of which the original $6bn is owed to banks and $4bn made up of inter-company loans.

President Ali Abdullah Saleh faces increased pressure as the wave of unrest sweeping the Middle East and North Africa has ignited mass protests on the streets of the capital, Sanaa.

Recent unrest in the region has not had a significant direct impact on the UAE, despite it being one of the least representative local polities. Thus, the federation formed in 1971 by the seven emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al- Quwain, remains one of the region’s most stable systems.

Despite a wave of protests and calls for reform throughout the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), Qatar has so far remained unaffected. There have been no protests, and the Qatari government has not followed other GCC countries in announcing measures to address domestic issues.

Kurdistan has been infected by the wave of popular rebellion which has brought protesters on to the streets in almost every country of the region from Morocco to Iran. Predictably, the Kurdish unrest took place in the town of Sulaymaniyah, which has always been the focus of political dissent within Iraqi Kurdistan.