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There is a long way to go if Bahrain is to tackle its deep grievances, but sources told GSN that King Hamad and leaders of the hardline Shia opposition were ready to continue the dialogue they hav...

The Mugnieh protest affair soured the atmosphere in Kuwait, and while electoral reform reinforced political groups over tribal interests in the emirates much-anticipated general election, moderat...

With many Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries now starting to ease restrictions imposed to counter the spread of coronavirus, GSN has carried out an analysis of the number of new Covid-19 cases and deaths attributable to the disease across the region. While some governments appear to be getting the virus under control, at least to some degree, an analysis of data collated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control suggests other countries remain firmly in the grip of a healthcare crisis.

Much ado about free trade: Saudi criticism of Bahrains bilateral agreement with the USA gives formal expression to tensions simmering below the surface as GCC leaders prepare to meet in Manama.

The capture of 172 suspected terrorists delighted observers, as did acknowledgement that fighters and cells were being trained in Iraq, but the lack of detail released by the Saudi authorities run...

Parliamentary poll will measure the clout wielded by Bahrain’s registered political societies – and the critics who want a continued boycott of the constitutional system set up by King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa.

The King is sticking to a reform path, having reinforced his control over family and government power structures, but the pace of change remains cautious and even with the Kingdom awash with liquidity major challenges remain for the Saudi leadership. GSN examines the direction of Abdullah’s rule some three years after the respected elder statesman took over the top job.

The influential and sometimes intimidating role in overseeing and brokering oil exploration contracts played by a senior Talabani family member Bafal Talabani – now a leading figure in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s fight against Islamic State (IS or Daesh) – has been exposed in the English Commercial Court. To considerable embarrassment for the participants, the mid-April hearing explored the dealings underpinning the Kurdamir PSC, one of the longest-running production-sharing contracts in the region, over six days. Depending on the result, it could be extremely costly for Canada-based international oil company (IOC) WesternZagros Resources Ltd (WZR). The episode adds to concerns over governance in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) area, which is central to efforts to counter IS.

After almost two months of protests in which more than 400 people are thought to have been killed and another 15,000 injured, Prime Minister Adel Abdel-Mahdi accepted reality, announcing on 29 November that he would step down. His resignation was accepted by the Council of Representatives (parliament) on 1 December, but Abdel-Mahdi and his cabinet will stay on until a new administration is formed.

Plans for the development of northern Kuwait get ever more grandiose, but much depends on improved regional relations if Bubiyan island is to be developed as its backers would like.

Insurgency fighters are trickling back to Saudi Arabia and appear to be planning a new home front, choosing targets that will reduce the risk of alienating the public. Some elements of a divided g...

With less than 70 days to go until sovereignty formally passes to an Iraqi interim government, the US-led Coalition is trying to untangle a confusing mesh of political, military and economic issues, increasingly dependent on the UN for success. Drawing on extensive access in Washington, the Coalition Provisional Authority and UN, GSN lays out the timelines that will underpin the transition to Iraqi self-rule.

It was received wisdom that King Salman Bin Abdelaziz AlSaud and the increasingly tight Sudairi circle of power which surrounds him would one day seek to replace his half-brother Prince Miqrin as heir to the throne. While generally seen as benign, Miqrin has been isolated within the Al-Saud since King Abdullah’s death (GSN 986/1, 985), and in recent months had already found himself sidelined.

Most investors refused to question starry-eyed statements about Dubai’s mega-investments or assumptions that oilrich Abu Dhabi would step in if the emirate’s bold investment strategy foundered. The crisis shows that Gulf leaders can no longer shirk their public responsibilities in a globalised economy – and leaves difficult questions to be answered about other firms’ finances and the impact of likely further shifts in the UAE balance of power

On 25 June, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani abdicated in favour of his son Sheikh Tamim. The stage-managed transfer of power is not expected to herald great change, though it did also mark the end of Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim’s influential premiership