AL-KHALEEJ

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.

Commentary

Considerations for a GCC-Iran Non-Aggression Pact

In a scale unprecedented since the Gulf War of 1990, the recent hostilities between the United States (US), Israel, and Iran have undermined the confidence and security of each and every Arab Gulf state. It may have been Israel and the US that started the war, but it was the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states who served as […]

Mahdi Ghuloom and Dr Rob Geist PinfoldJune 2026

Reports

Working Group on Gulf Foreign Policy: Meeting IV – Key Takeaways

Fiker Institute’s Working Group on Gulf Foreign Policy held its fourth meeting and discussed the announcement of MOU between Iran and the US and its implication for regional security.

June 2026

Policy Briefs

The Water, Energy & Food Nexus: Reframing Gulf Climate & Foreign Policy

In the early weeks after the US-Iran escalation around the Strait of Hormuz, the crisis was narrated through a familiar vocabulary of oil flows, gas markets, tanker movements, price volatility, and insurance risk. The language was immediate, recognizable, and not wrong. Energy is the first lens through which the world understands the Gulf. Yet the region’s modern resource system […]

Rumaitha Al BusaidiJune 2026

Policy Briefs

Education, Soft Power & Intellectual Sovereignty in the Gulf

Through its curriculum, a society transmits its memory, shapes collective identity, and prepares the next generation not only to work but to think. Beyond domestic social policy, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries should view education as an instrument of soft power: a means to shape preferences through attraction rather than coercion.1 What happens in […]

Abdulla N. KhooryJune 2026

Policy Briefs

War, Vulnerability & Omnibalancing: Rethinking Gulf Security

The current war on Iran has exposed structural vulnerabilities in the United States (US)-Gulf security alliance. This is exemplified by the basing paradox: the hosting of US forces increases deterrence while simultaneously elevating exposure to retaliation. Iran’s retaliatory strikes on US regional assets and Gulf infrastructure have drawn Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states into the conflict, demonstrating how forward […]

Dr Khalid Al-JufairiMay 2026

Reports

Fiker Institute & Dirwaza Curatorial Lab Present Syllabus of Proposed Works

The Syllabus of Proposed Works is a non-exhaustive list of novels, plays, academic articles, podcast episodes, films, and visual artworks that speak to ongoing debates of identity and conflict as they relate to Arab Gulf states. It is designed to encourage dialogue and facilitate critical discourse in the context of ongoing developments in the region. […]

May 2026