Public affairs commentator Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi addressed the Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) community last week and encouraged students to develop skills in as many fields as possible and to speak out on issues that concern them. Read more »
GCC
What a Trump Presidency Means for the Gulf
As objectionable as it may seem to many, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s presidential nominee. It is also no longer a remote possibility for Trump to become the 45th president of the United States come next January. What would a Trump presidency mean for the oil-rich Gulf Arab states? Read more »
The Gulf’s New Social Contract
To cope with the loss in oil revenue, most GCC states have introduced indirect taxation, including municipal and road taxes, and have openly discussed the introduction of Value Added Tax in the near future. The traditional Gulf social contract has never been more fragile, and attempts to drastically rewrite it by GCC governments no doubt comes with its risks. Taxation in exchange for ensuring the security of citizens in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood might be the new accepted social contract, but Gulf states should tread carefully nonetheless. Read more »
Economic Integration can Ease Regional Tensions
The New Year has seen relations in the region spiral out of control with Saudi Arabia cutting off diplomatic ties with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sectarian tensions mounted following the execution of prominent Saudi Shi’a cleric Nimr al-Nimr and the subsequent attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran. With a resurgent Iran, emboldened by the lifting of sanctions and the recognition of global powers of its nuclear program, and a young, ambitious leadership in Saudi Arabia, it is likely that such diplomatic stand-offs will be a common occurrence in the near future. Read more »
Pressing Matters: Media Coverage and the Arab Gulf States
Over the past few years Western media’s negative coverage of the Arab Gulf states has increased so much that it is starting to look more like a rite of passage for some journalists and news organisations. Meanwhile, what’s notable is that most Western media outlets have softened their tone when reporting on Iran. Read more »
Syria crisis: Gulf States should open their doors to Syrian refugees
As the situation in Syria deteriorated, tens of thousands of desperate Syrians began to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe by boat. Criticism grew of the Gulf States – the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman – who until recently were the ‘elephants in the room’ when it came to their lack of support and resettlement for fleeing Syrian refugees. Read more »