All Policy Analysis by Simon Henderson

From family competition and parliamentary rumblings to potential friction with various neighbors, the oil-rich U.S. ally may face a challenging transition.

Negotiating a dividing line would enable Beirut to fully exploit potential offshore oil and gas reserves.

The combination of new demand projections, green consumer trends, pandemic-related shifts, and other factors may not spell the end of Middle Eastern oil economies quite yet, but it is the first draft of their obituary.

The announcement of a peace deal between Israel and Bahrain suggests that the Gulf island kingdom has reassessed the danger of opposition from both its majority Shia population and its Sunni community.

The Washington meeting between the United States and Qatar, overlapping with the Israel-UAE signing ceremony on normalization, creates a unique opportunity to resolve the dispute between U.S. allies.

The general’s firing will prompt speculation about changes in Yemen policy and royal family opposition to the crown prince.

Growing tensions between the two allies have both Islamic and nuclear angles.

Years of burgeoning trade and quiet U.S. diplomacy helped lay the groundwork for a move that is only partly focused on improving the bilateral relationship.

The current flare-up centers on differing interpretations of international law—a situation that should be employing lawyers but is instead deploying navies.

Riyadh has now ticked the first two boxes on the enrichment checklist and might already be working on the others.

Riyadh’s failed attempt to buy a high-profile English Premier League club will be examined closely by foreign investors and regional competitors alike.

King Salman may not be on his deathbed, but his son is renowned for not wanting to waste an opportunity.

Even if acute diplomatic differences are resolved, low natural gas prices will have a cooling effect on regional energy initiatives.

As Riyadh aims to revamp the kingdom’s place in the international community, its near-term approach to Iran and Israel will have much to say about the Gulf neighborhood’s future trajectory.

Even if the regime’s prospects of obtaining enough high-enriched uranium for a weapon have been greatly delayed, the potential repercussions do not end there.

Qatar's break with Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors remains unresolved, and rumors circulate of bids to replace Tamim bin Khalifa al-Thani, Qatar’s forty-year-old emir, with one of his historically marginalized rivals.

The cartel’s latest bid to increase profits will likely be counterbalanced by depressed summer demand and increased output by other producers.

An upcoming IAEA report will give Washington and Europe more clarity on where the nuclear program stands and whether united Western efforts to contain it are still possible.

Reduced demand caused by the coronavirus and low oil/gas prices has complicated plans for further development of the region’s offshore reserves.