خلیج و سیاست حوزه انرژی

Policy Analysis on خلیج و سیاست حوزه انرژی

The Real Purpose of a U.S.-Saudi Security Agreement

A treaty would pave the way for better security integration among U.S. partners in the region and reduce the need for direct American intervention.

۱۷ اکتبر ۲۰۲۴

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Michael Singh

EU vessel participating in Operation Aspides against the Houthis.

Maps & Graphics

The Ship Operators Shrugging Off Houthi Attacks

While major operators will continue to avoid the Red Sea in 2025, others are launching new services in the high-risk waterway, including some that manage China-linked vessels.

۱۶ اکتبر ۲۰۲۴

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Noam Raydan

◆ Maritime Spotlight

Houthi fighters parade with their missile systems in Sanaa in September 2023 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

A Draw Is a Win: The Houthis After One Year of War

The Yemeni group has strengthened its capabilities and aggressiveness to the point where it may be less vulnerable to international pressure than its Iranian patron.

October 2024

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Michael Knights

Brief Analysis

Saudi Arabia Signals Oil Policy Shift

The kingdom anticipates and accepts lower oil prices, according to a news report, but the impact on other producers could be comparatively damaging.

۲۷ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Simon Henderson

Articles & Testimony

The Houthi Takeover of Yemen Is 10 Years Old. It Must Not Reach 20

The Gulf states were right about the Houthi threat and the West was wrong, so another large-scale confrontation is inevitable.

۲۱ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Michael Knights

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed walks with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in September 2024 - source: Reuters

Articles & Testimony

UAE President’s White House Visit Is About Much More Than Mere Formalities

Besides strengthening both countries’ economies, the visit represents a new model of international partnership where traditional alliances intersect with cutting-edge innovation.

۲۱ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Nickolay Mladenov

UAE President Muhammad bin Zayed - source: Reuters

Brief Analysis

MbZ Visits Washington: Meeting Agendas and Regional Implications

The Emirati leader will likely focus on the future of bilateral economic and technological integration, but discussions will also cover sensitive matters such as great-power concerns over China and Russia, regional nuclear proliferation, and a potential role for his country in postwar Gaza.

۲۰ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Simon Henderson
Elizabeth Dent

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa in Riffa, Bahrain - source: Reuters

Video

Brief Analysis

U.S.-Bahrain Ties One Year After the Strategic Partnership Agreement

Two veteran ambassadors discuss bilateral efforts in the security, economic, and technology sectors, noting the agreement’s potential as a template for other countries in the region.

۱۱ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Steven C. Bondy
Sheikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa

President Joe Biden arrives in Saudi Arabia in July 2022

Brief Analysis

U.S.-Saudi Defense Cooperation: Next Steps

Even if an Israeli-Saudi normalization deal proves unattainable for now, Washington and Riyadh should still seek ways to enhance military and defense cooperation in order to advance common interests and prepare for future security challenges.

۱۰ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Andrew G. Clemmensen
Abdullah Hayek

Articles & Testimony

How the U.S. Used Arms Sales to Shift Saudi Behavior

Weapons bans have proven to be a fickle tool historically, so why did they work in Riyadh’s case?

۴ سپتامبر ۲۰۲۴

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Elizabeth Dent
Grant Rumley

The crude oil tanker Sounion burns in the Red Sea after an attack by Houthi forces in Yemen - source: EUNAVFOR

Brief Analysis

Five Lessons from the Sounion Salvage Crisis in the Red Sea

The United States and its partners should take several immediate steps to avoid an environmental disaster, counter the Houthi spin about the incident, and prevent the group from creating other hazmat emergencies in the Red Sea.

۲۹ اوت ۲۰۲۴

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Noam Raydan

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Even After Houthi Attacks, Russia-Linked Tankers Return to Red Sea

The operators are either accepting risk on a vital transport route or else no longer concerned about perceptions about their vessels’ past links to Britain.

۲۲ اوت ۲۰۲۴

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Noam Raydan

◆ Maritime Spotlight

Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Bahraini crown prince and prime minister Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa - source: Department of State

Brief Analysis

One Year of the U.S.-Bahrain C-SIPA: Signs of Progress, Regional Potential

The progress the two partners have made through C-SIPA offers a fresh model for future U.S. cooperation with other Middle East countries in the security, economic, and technology sectors.

۲۱ اوت ۲۰۲۴

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Elizabeth Dent

Brief Analysis

Saudi Arabia Increases Its Cooperation with World’s Nuclear Watchdog

The small but significant step could facilitate U.S. technology transfers to the kingdom, said to be a key element in any potential Israeli-Saudi normalization deal—but proliferation concerns persist.

۸ اوت ۲۰۲۴

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Simon Henderson

Houthi missile hits Chios Lion tanker, Red Sea, July 2024.

Maps & Graphics

Houthi Attacks on Russia-Linked Tankers

Available data suggests the Yemeni group has been going after vessels carrying Russian cargo, particularly if an operator's ships have visited Israeli ports.

۲۶ ژوئیهٔ ۲۰۲۴

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Noam Raydan
Farzin Nadimi

◆ Maritime Spotlight

A screenshot from MarineTraffic shows the past tracks of the livestock carrier Shorthorn Express (IMO 9167318), which as of July 2, 2024, was sailing toward the British Isles.

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Are the Houthis Attacking Ships in the Mediterranean?

Direct strikes from the Yemeni group are unlikely at the moment, but a more aggressive Hezbollah could alter the threat picture.

۳ ژوئیهٔ ۲۰۲۴

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Noam Raydan
Farzin Nadimi

◆ Maritime Spotlight

The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower on joint operations in the CENTCOM region - source: Department of Defense

Brief Analysis

Carrier Gap Increases the Red Sea’s Vulnerability to Houthi Attacks

To fill the capabilities gap between carrier groups and prepare for potential Houthi escalation in the next few weeks, the United States and its partners need to implement stopgap measures and, ideally, surge more military assets into the region temporarily.

۲۸ ژوئن ۲۰۲۴

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Elizabeth Dent

An explosion hits the civilian cargo vessel MV Tutor in the Red Sea - source: Houthi Media Center

Maps & Graphics

Brief Analysis

Houthi Ship Attacks Pose a Longer-Term Challenge to Regional Security and Trade Plans

The immediate effects of the Houthi antishipping campaign are measurably serious, but the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other partners also need to prepare for the emboldened group to exert its newfound leverage in other ways beyond the Gaza war.

۲۶ ژوئن ۲۰۲۴

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Noam Raydan

Brief Analysis

Energy Watchdog Predicts Big Oil Surplus by 2030

Implied lower prices would weaken economic forecasts for major Middle East oil producers.

۱۴ ژوئن ۲۰۲۴

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Simon Henderson

Brief Analysis

A Kuwaiti Reset?

The new emir’s suspension of parliament, followed by the appointment of a prime minister and crown prince, suggests a different direction for the oil-rich Gulf state.

۷ ژوئن ۲۰۲۴

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Simon Henderson
David Schenker

Supported by the

Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy

The Washington Institute's Bernstein Program on Gulf and Energy Policy embodies the Institute's long-term research focus on the conservative Arab Gulf states -- Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman -- and the key role these countries play collectively as a primary source of the world's oil and natural gas.

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