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.

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Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Perils of the Sea

Yemen’s once flourishing fishing industry is now on the rocks as the country’s conflict has turned previously tranquil shores into a warzone.

Podcast Episode — March 16, 2021

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Dr. Hanaa Almoaibed: Saudi Arabia and the Labor Market

Jon Alterman talks to Dr. Hanaa Almoaibed about how Saudi Arabia’s youth view their job opportunities.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman, Will Todman, and Daniel Sharp — February 9, 2021

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

Azzam Alwash: Restoring Iraq’s Marshes

Jon Alterman talks to Azzam Alwash about his life’s work restoring Iraq’s wetlands.

Podcast Episode by Jon B. Alterman and Natasha Hall — January 26, 2021

CSIS Babel
Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Ba'athist Blues

A short mezze episode from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

Podcast Episode — January 19, 2021

CSIS Babel

Help Wanted

Getting housecleaning help in Kuwait has become expensive, and also exploitative. After new residency restrictions forced many foreign workers to leave the country, critics claim that the Kuwaiti domestic labor market has become a virtual “slave trade.”

Newsletter by Caleb Harper — December 17, 2020

Designating the Houthis as Terrorists Would Be a Mistake

CSIS’s Jon Alterman discusses the Trump administration’s possible designation of the Houthis as terrorists and the potential impact of such a move on U.S. and Iranian interests.

Commentary by Jon B. Alterman — November 30, 2020

Influence Peddlers

Some children want to grow up to be astronauts or firemen, and others want to be doctors. But in the Middle East, like in the rest of the world, some actually grow up to be social media “influencers.”

Newsletter by Caleb Harper and Buthaina Al Zubair — November 18, 2020

A Hard Pill to Swallow

Last May, a trio of bustling nurses surrounded a Covid-19 patient in Bahrain.

Newsletter by McKinley Knoop — October 19, 2020

Babel: Translating the Middle East

A Mezze: Cyber-Sheikh

A short mezze episode from the Middle East Program at CSIS.

Podcast Episode — October 13, 2020

CSIS Babel

The Significance of the Israel-UAE Deal

On September 15, leaders from Israel and the UAE will sign an agreement to pursue normalized relations. CSIS’s Jon Alterman examines the significance of the deal and whether it represents a new era in the Middle East.

Critical Questions by Jon B. Alterman — September 15, 2020