Arabian Peninsula and Iraq

Political, economic, and security trends in the GCC states, Iraq, and Yemen

Warfare and volatile oil prices have pummeled the Gulf. The Middle East Program works with others at CSIS to appreciate the new challenges and opportunities in the Gulf and their impact on regional affairs and global politics. We perform original research and analysis and convene events that highlight issues of importance in the Gulf to policy audiences. The program defines the Gulf as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen.

See the Middle East Program's publications and past events on the Gulf HERE.

Featured Project

Photo: WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: WANG ZHAO/AFP/Getty Images

The China Model's Middle East Appeal

Analyzing Middle Eastern states’ perceptions and emulation of a China model and China’s changing presentation of its model to appeal to target countries

Featured Testimony

Photo: Michael Kohler/CSIS

Photo: Michael Kohler/CSIS

A Strategic Approach to Red Sea Security

Iran did not create the Houthi movement, but it has long seen it as useful. The Houthis have been a low-cost way to give Iran additional regional reach. They represent a modest investment in regional forces that reject the legitimacy of the status quo.

Congressional Testimony by Jon B. Alterman — February 14, 2024

Featured Analysis

Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

Photo: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

Trump Takes on the Houthis

The Trump administration is escalating attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to Houthi assaults on commercial shipping. The U.S. government is also increasingly blaming Iran for Houthi actions, which could intensify the conflict between the two countries.

Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman — March 27, 2025

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Trump Takes on the Houthis

The Trump administration is escalating attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to Houthi assaults on commercial shipping. The U.S. government is also increasingly blaming Iran for Houthi actions, which could intensify the conflict between the two countries.

Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman — March 27, 2025

Iranian Networks in the Middle East

Renad Mansour, senior research fellow and project director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House and Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House join Dr. Jon Alterman to discuss emerging trends in Iran's transnational networks.

Event — March 6, 2025

Iranian Networks in the Middle East

Renad Mansour, senior research fellow & project director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House and Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East & North Africa Programme at Chatham House join Dr. Jon Alterman to discuss emerging trends in Iran's transnational networks.

Transcript — March 6, 2025

The Middle East’s View of the “China Model”

China does not seek to replace or outcompete the United States in the Middle East. Instead, China is working to untie the Middle East from the United States and make the region and the world more receptive to China through its model of political and economic development.

Report by Jon B. Alterman — September 19, 2024

Houthi Aggression and a Roadmap for Peace in Yemen

Maged Al-Madhaji, chair and co-founder of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, joins Dr. Jon Alterman, director of the CSIS Middle East Program, to discuss Houthi attacks on international shipping and the war in Yemen.

Event — September 4, 2024

Houthi Aggression and a Roadmap for Peace in Yemen

The CSIS Middle East Program hosted a conversation with Maged Al-Madhaji, chair and co-founder of the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies, on the Houthis’ strategy attacking shipping, military responses, and a way forward to end the war in Yemen.

Transcript — September 4, 2024

Why Did the United States Just Bomb Yemen?

On January 11, U.S. and British militaries attacked 60 Houthi targets. Jon Alterman explains why this happened, the regional dynamics at play, and what this means for peace talks in Yemen.  

Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman — January 12, 2024

China’s Essential Role in the Gulf States’ Energy Transitions

China has established itself as an essential partner in Gulf states’ energy transition, serving as an investor and developer in renewable energy projects. Western governments, however, have been reluctant to compete with Chinese enterprises in the region.

Brief by Faris Al-Sulayman and Jon B. Alterman — December 11, 2023