... campaign by the Syrian regime against its own people has had a devastating spillover impact. The GCC states have been patient observers of Russia’s actions.
REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Anna Manafova:
Is Oil-And-Gas Friendship Possible Between
Russia and Saudi Arabia?s
The GCC states have attempted to use various economic and political levers to bring Russia closer. Most GCC-Russia business and economic initiatives have yet to see the light of day. Per one Russian expert, Russian business is notoriously slow at
responding ...
... never “openly interfered militarily” in Palestine, Yemen or Bahrain. This rhetoric helps the authors not only blow the Iranian threat out of proportion (perhaps because of the Center’s close ties to security services), but also project Saudi Arabia’s national concerns to all countries in the region.
Finally, trumpeting the “Iranian factor” helps sideline the question of domestic threats to the security of the GCC countries. This discourse is turning Iran into an eternal and irreconcilable enemy of the Arab states and the source of all evil – replacing Israel, of which the report makes no mention at all.
REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser
Igor Ivanov:
Is a Collective ...
1. Introduction
Oil prices have declined significantly since the middle of 2014, causing significant concern among major oil exporters, among the Russia and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE). There have been significant calls for cooperation between the GCC states, other OPEC members, and Russia, with the goal of stabilizing oil prices. Whether or not a substantive agreement emerges remains to be seen. One of the ...
... significantly stronger both financially and politically which will increase its regional standing.
Riyadh’s decision to suspend its diplomatic ties and trade was largely a symbolic gesture because there is not much of either in their bilateral relations. Saudi Arabia was likely betting on Tehran’s more bitter and aggressive reaction such as publicly rallying support of Saudi Shia or even shutting the Straight of Hormuz which would have had negative consequences for all of the GCC.
The reasons why the Saudi leadership makes risky moves in its Iran policy are multifaceted. Riyadh openly opposes the nuclear deal that was reached between Iran and the six world powers in July last year. It fears that the lifting of anti-Iran economic ...
... narrative of terrorist groups like IS, which increases their threat to all States in the region.
Islamic Republic News Agency
Elena Melkumyan, Andrei Derbenev,
Omar Mahmood:
Iran — a Stumbling Block for Russia and
the Gulf Countries?
Out of all the GCC States it is Saudi Arabia that today plays one of the most crucial roles in this conflict. Even after the recent talks in Vienna, the Saudi stance has not changed, which is that Bashar al-Assad must leave at all costs. This strong and uncompromising stance provides ...
... in deep oil and gas processing, a broad range of petrochemical and other manufacturing industries, and agriculture. It is the only way to escape from oil export dependency in economic development. Russia can take an active role in these sectors with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait.
GCC Map
3. A GCC
Perspective
Abdulaziz AlDoseri, Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies
Months before signing the nuclear deal with P5+1, Iranian officials headed to London to showcase 45 oil and gas projects aiming to double ...
... capability and a ballistic missile early warning system.
Quite significantly, one of the agreements reached at the summit was to jointly develop a region-wide ballistic missile defense capability and a ballistic missile early warning system. Several GCC states have necessary defense components in place already, such as short-range Patriot systems in Saudi Arabia and THAAD systems in Qatar, but the new agreement provides for the installation of a comprehensive system that would allow short- to long-range missile defense. The plan is particularly significant when one considers the GCC’s decision ...
