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Now Arafat has gone, his detractors in the Gulf could provide more substantial backing for the Palestinians as part of a wider peace effort.

Now Arafat has gone, his detractors in the Gulf could provide more substantial backing for the Palestinians as part of a wider peace effort.

With the death of Sheikh Zayed, the Gulf has lost its most revered leader, a historic gure who carefully shaped the future of UAE politics by lining up an orderly succession with Sheikh Khalifa al...

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who officially returned to Qatar in early October for the funeral of his wife Sheikha Mozah Bint Ali Bin Saud Bin Abdelaziz Al-Thani, is settling in. One sign that he is here to stay is that the former emir’s palaces in Doha, which have been empty since his exile in 1995, are being renovated.

The government has received a barrage of bad publicity, but once again, confrontation may be giving way to edgy compromise as Bahrain feels its way down the path of political modernisation.

Speculation about succession, the Al-Sabah pecking order and manoeuvrings around Project Kuwait have set rumour mills spinning as Kuwaitis wait for more solid indicators about their future.

During a period of transition in its domestic politics, the UAE has handed over organisation of the annual GCC summit to Bahrain. GSN examines the summit build up in Manama, Abu Dhabi and the wider region.

Delays to the planned municipal elections are mainly due to the government’s over-ambitious schedule. Most conservatives now accept that elections will follow – their backlash is focused on women’s rights.

Israel wants to extend diplomatic and business ties in the Arab Gulf states. GSN’s soundings suggest that even though Israel remains a pariah state for most Arab/Islamic states, Tel Aviv sees opportunities in the Gulf whereonce it saw threats – except when it comes to Iran.

Municipal elections hardly represent revolutionary change, but they would signal the start of a new social compact emerging between the Al-Sauds and those they rule. Reformists say Saudis could vote in October, but a delay until mid-2005 is more likely

Urgent US security warnings are a blow’s to Manama’s confidence, but there is some good news for the political class, with signs of progress from efforts to reconcile Bahrain’s ruling Al-Khalifas.

Sheikh Hamad has set a date to implement the new constitution, one year hence, but has yet to set an election date. While democracy breaks out in the Gulf’s boom economy the constitution also reinforces Al-Thani rule.

There is no hiding from the Jihadist onslaught, but with many reform policies bogged down, it will be political momentum not military muscle that decides if Al-Qaeda’s challenge to Al-Saud rule has any substance

Hardliners flexed their muscles when Republican Guards stormed Tehran’s new international airport, but more pragmatic conservative factions are looking to take Iran in a less confrontational direction. Divisions in the conservative camp are again the biggest factor in Iran’s domestic politics.

The political outlook for Saudi Arabia is ever more cloudy. Terrorist violence, contradictory signals from a divided leadership and some gritty geopolitical problems combine to make a grim outlook for the Kingdom.