The Strait of Hormuz & Global Energy Security
Fiker Institute hosted the President of the Observer Research Foundation Dr Samir Saran to discuss the wide-ranging economic, energy, and diplomatic implications of the Iran War.
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.
Gulf Foreign Policy Amid Escalation & Alliances
The US and Israel’s strikes against Iran since February 28 mark a pivotal moment in the Gulf’s security architecture. They transformed what had previously been a gradual recalibration of alliances into an immediate strategic dilemma for the GCC states. Iran’s direct attacks targeting Gulf territory and infrastructure exposed the double-edged nature of hosting US military assets, which […]
Working Group on Gulf Foreign Policy: Meeting I – Key Takeaways
As part of its Al-Khaleej Program, Fiker Institute launched the Working Group on Gulf Foreign Policy in March 2026 in response to the ongoing Iran War. The Group seeks to establish a coordination mechanism that convenes expert voices from the six GCC countries to exchange views on the current developments and the future policy trajectories of the GCC states.
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?
Fractures and Alignments: Europe at the UN Security Council
Fiker Institute hosted Senior Fellow Shurouq Jaradat for a lecture on fragmentation in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The lecture explored how the war in Ukraine has intensified tensions among the United Nations Security Council Permanent Five (P5) and how shifts in US policy under President Trump, particularly regarding Russia and Ukraine, have reshaped dynamics among the P5 and ultimately affected coordination with European allies.
Shared Threats, Shared Responsibility: Europe & the Gulf
Iran’s attacks against Gulf states, including threats to civilians and civilian infrastructure, must be condemned clearly and without hesitation. No country should have to live under the shadow of missile and drone attacks targeting its sovereignty, its people, or the systems that sustain daily life. Estonia quickly and unequivocally condemned Iran’s inexcusable attacks. It stands in […]
Can Governments Advance Trade in a Fragmented World?
HE Dr Oleksandr Balanutsa, Ambassador of Ukraine to the UAE, discusses the UAE-Ukraine Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
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 & 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?
Are Tariffs Becoming the New Sanctions?
States are increasingly reverting to economic coercion in international politics. The sweeping use of sanctions and – particularly since President Trump’s second term in office – tariffs to influence other states is evidence of its growing salience. Economic coercion refers to the use of economic tools – specifically economic restrictions – to coerce a foreign government, actor, or entity […]
Re-Evaluating Ceasefires in Armed Conflicts: Cases from Latin America
As part of the newly launched Memorandum of Understanding between Fiker Institute and the University of Oxford’s Global Security Programme, Fiker Institute hosted Dr. Annette Idler, Director of the Global Security Programme at the University of Oxford’s Pembroke College and Associate Professor in Global Security at Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, for a public lecture on the role of ceasefire in global security.
Global US Absence & Alternative Power Centers
While the West flourished post-Second World War, the Global South faced marginalization. Today, the international order is undergoing a realignment of power. More nations are standing against hegemony, and what once seemed permanent is shifting into a new reality: the rise of multipolar cooperation, a stronger voice from the Global South, and the recognition that the world’s future cannot rest in the hands of a single power.
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 & 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?
On Asmahan Elfergani: Within the Margins of History
Libyan artist Asmahan Elfergani’s work is largely absent from the formal record of art history, but she is remembered in oral histories and private collections. This Essay seeks to establish a preliminary biography of the artist and her work as it endures through homes, conversations, and the quiet persistence of remembrance.
Working Group on Gulf Foreign Policy: Meeting II – Key Takeaways
Fiker Institute’s Working Group on Gulf Foreign Policy held its second meeting and discussed the implications of the ceasefire announcements and the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis.
Ceasefires in Crisis: Geopolitical Implications from Syria and Lebanon
The architecture of ceasefire governance in contemporary conflicts has shifted from universal institutions toward selective coalitions of powerful states with profound implications for global security: Enforcement becomes selective, violations are interpreted asymmetrically, and the objective transforms from sustainable peace to strategic advantage.