Troubled waters in the Gulf
The Qatar crisis has ensured that the region can no longer boast being an oasis of tranquillity
These are, to put it mildly, unsettling days for the Arab Gulf states. The Qatar crisis demonstrates dramatically what they had perhaps been unwilling to accept before: the comfort blanket of solid and enduring political stability has been removed. After decades of quiet oil-funded prosperity and back-seat regional politics, the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) face a maelstrom of challenges. Even before the Qatar controversy erupted, the population of the Gulf was witnessing a radical change in leadership styles—at least in two of the key GCC states, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Two charismatic and ambitious le
Also in this section
15 May 2025
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
14 May 2025
The invisible hand of the market has seen increasing transparency but much more needs to be done to build a better understanding
13 May 2025
A fall in Venezuelan output drives overall production lower, as Saudi Arabia starts to slowly bring more crude to the market
12 May 2025
With the gas industry’s staunchest advocates and opponents taking brutal blows, the sector looks like treading a path of insipid indifference
