The Iran War: A View from the UAE

Commentary

Fiker Institute’s Al-Khaleej Fellows React

Resilience & Restraint: The Gulf amid the Iran War


<p>Fiker Institute offers a number of fellowship programs, divided into both regional and thematic areas, with the aim of producing cutting edge research on some of the international community&#8217;s most pressing issues. In close collaboration with a global network of partners and researchers, Fiker Institute currently hosts the following fellowship programs:</p>


Programs

With global power shifting towards multipolarity, the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar – have become increasingly central to global diplomacy, trade, and security. As their economies seek to play leading roles in emerging technological sectors, and governments gain increasing confidence in their autonomous foreign policy decision-making, Arab Gulf states have adopted different strategies to leverage new realities and develop more diversified economic and security arrangements. Gulf states have also positioned themselves as mediators in regional and international conflicts. This raises questions about the nature of Gulf mediation and how it can deliver sustainable political solutions where traditional approaches have failed. At the same time, the Gulf is at the heart of global economic security, with key trade routes passing through volatile areas. This has led the states to rethink their national security strategies and defense cooperation beyond historical allies. Fiker Institute’s Al-Khaleej Program sets out to analyze how Arab Gulf states will navigate an increasingly fragmented world order, how these dynamics will shape intra-Gulf relations, and what impact they will have on the Gulf’s foreign relations and domestic policies.

AL-KHALEEJ

Europe stands at a strategic and socio-economic crossroads. Russia’s protracted assault on Ukraine has put the post‐Cold War security order into question and sparked important debates about national defense and nuclear deterrence. Meanwhile, instability in the European neighborhood amplifies debates on strategic energy corridors, critical mineral partnerships, and food security buffers. Domestically, the rise of far‐right movements is testing the stability of liberal democracies. Within the European Union, rule‐of‐law disputes collide with calls for treaty reform ahead of any possible enlargement. At the same time,  an ambitious industrial and climate transformation is under way, seeking to future-proof European economies and position Europe as a driver and beneficiary of innovation and digital transformation, even as ageing workforces, fiscal imbalance, and populist backlash expose structural fault lines. Fiker Institute’s Europe Program seeks to interrogate Europe’s position in the shifting global order and analyze regional and domestic dynamics that will shape the continent’s political, security, and economic trajectories. How are European states navigating international partnerships and calls for strategic autonomy in an increasingly multipolar world? How is Europe rethinking defense and security in light of the fracturing of the transatlantic alliance?

EUROPE

Once seen as the backbone of the post-World War II global architecture, the US now grapples with deep internal polarization, weakening institutions, and declining international credibility. The rise of Silicon Valley as a political force, with tech giants influencing policy from free speech to data and security, signals a deeper crisis in domestic political accountability. Meanwhile, the securitization of migration and militarization of law enforcement has important implications for the region and beyond. South America is home to increasingly influential markets and emerging powers, with leaders looking beyond the western hemisphere for political and economic cooperation. The region is also experiencing shifting dynamics in organized crime amid an ever-evolving security landscape. Fiker Institute’s North &amp; South America Program seeks to interrogate the evolving nature of power across the Americas. How is power shifting across the continents with the rise of alternative state and non-state actors? How are domestic developments in the US impacting the White House’s foreign policy agenda? In what ways and on which terms will regional relations evolve, impacting local communities as well as the international order?

NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA

West Asia and North Africa is a region of immense complexity and accelerating transformation, whose prevailing policy landscapes have often been framed through exclusively Western lenses and frameworks. Fiker Institute’s West Asia &amp; North Africa Program aims to support the region in decolonizing its own narratives, positions, and priority agendas globally. Long‐running wars, sovereign‐debt distress, foreign intervention, demographic pressure, and climate extremes are converging to unravel many of the political bargains that once defined the region’s geopolitics. Still, these same challenges are incubating alternative futures. European, African, and Asian middle powers are courting capitals through green‐hydrogen corridors, critical‐mineral supply chains, and digital‐infrastructure deals. The expansion of BRICS, rise of new development banks, and Gulf sovereign‐wealth funds offer fresh, if conditional, lifelines for debt‐strapped states. The program sets out to explore questions along three core lines of enquiry: How can regional states build sustainable, independent institutions and inclusive economies? Which internal coalitions and external partners are poised to fill emerging governance, security, and investment vacuums and on what terms? What can lead to increased regional multilateralism, and what can translate common visions into durable, regionally-led security guarantees?

WEST ASIA AND NORTH AFRICA

Fiker Institute's Regional Programs examine policy questions and address debates that are specific to a country or a region. We develop our analyses through thoughtful consideration of unique political, economic, and social contexts.

REGIONAL PROGRAMS

Global climate debates have sparked concerns about the stability of food, water, and ecological systems, as shifts in energy supplies bring with them substantial financial and social costs. Amid increasing multilateral paralysis, pressures from domestic politics, and corporate interests, international momentum on climate action risks stalling. While the world gathers every year around COP, effective progress remains limited, especially around issues of justice and accountability. Tensions between technological development and environmental protection are growing amidst an exponential increase in energy demands, further straining natural resources and triggering tensions within or between countries. What are the social, economic, and geopolitical implications of how states respond to differing climate crises? Fiker Institute’s Climate Security Program seeks to explore the nexus between climate and conflict, which places it at the center of national security concerns as the environment becomes both a casualty and a tool of war.

CLIMATE SECURITY

Amid increasing global fragmentation and the deterioration of multilateral cooperation, there is growing skepticism about the current structures of global governance. International decision-making bodies are deadlocked, norms and laws are being eroded, and traditional aid and development models are under pressure from funding cuts. At the same time, emerging powers are increasingly challenging the status quo. Global South-led institutions like BRICS+ are exerting growing influence in international politics, and minilateral frameworks are gaining traction, signaling a multipolar shift. Additionally, emerging frontiers in AI, space exploration, and digital governance are pushing the boundaries of existing systems. Fiker Institute’s Diplomacy &amp; Global Governance Program aims to propose alternative models for multilateral cooperation and to advance policy recommendations on effective reform strategies. How can existing institutions be rethought and adapted, and how can global leadership become more inclusive, credible, and representative?

DIPLOMACY AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Despite advances in recent years, women’s equality still faces significant challenges across regions. In conflict and post-conflict situations, women’s roles as peacemakers, mediators, and combatants are often overlooked, hampering adequate approaches to protection, demobilization, and post-conflict reconciliation. Historically, women have been sidelined from political negotiations and power-sharing agreements, despite playing crucial roles in movements, mobilizations, and civic engagements. While gender-sensitive provisions have been incorporated in political processes, justice mechanisms remain inconsistent. In the labor market, women’s contributions in informal economies are often not adequately recognized, resulting in their exclusion from social, political, and legal protections. The debate on gender equality is frequently shaped by Western-centric critiques that disregard the agency and choices of women on whose behalf they claim to speak. Fiker Institute’s Gender Equality Program aims to study how gender roles are understood in different regional contexts and how they are shaped by intersectional factors, including race, class, and geographic status. It works to analyze the rights, challenges, and agencies of women in evolving labor markets, conflict settings, and political transitions.

GENDER EQUALITY

Fiker Institute’s Thematic Programs explore borderless issues of concern to the international community. We analyze both the transnational and the domestic dynamics that influence policymaking, fronts and propose a way forward for more effective and productive multilateral frameworks and engagements. 

EDITORS' PICKS

The Iran War: A View from the UAE

Fiker Institute’s Al-Khaleej Fellows React

Resilience & Restraint: The Gulf amid the Iran War

PROGRAMS

REGIONAL PROGRAMS

THEMATIC PROGRAMS