Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Venezuela

Algeria

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Russia

Energy

OPEC+ will likely decide to increase its oil production in November by at least 137,000 barrels per day when the group meets on Oct. 5, Bloomberg reported on Sept. 28.

Global: OPEC+ Likely To Approve Another Production Hike at Next Meeting

United States

Pakistan

Military & Security

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said the country's nuclear arsenal would be "made available" to Saudi Arabia under their new defense pact, the first confirmation that Pakistan's nuclear weapons would be included as part of the agreement that was signed on Sept. 18.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Pakistan Says Saudi Arabia Is Under Its Nuclear Umbrella

On Sept. 17, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan announced that they had signed a mutual defense pact that considers an attack against one of them to be an attack against both and implies that Saudi Arabia is under Pakistan's nuclear umbrella, AP reported on Sept. 18. 

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan: Governments Sign Mutual Defense Pact

Sudan

Egypt

Politics

Sudan's Sovereignty Council, the governing body backed by the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, rejected a Sept. 12 proposal by the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for a three-month humanitarian truce with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, after the RSF launched drone strikes on critical infrastructure in White Nile state, Sudan Tribune reported on Sept. 14.

Sudan: SAF Rejects Truce Proposals From U.S.-Led Quartet

Economics

On Sept. 7, OPEC+ agreed to increase its oil production quota by 137,000 barrels per day in October, though it did not publish any guidance on production levels beyond October.

OPEC+: Bloc To Lift Oil Production Further in October

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund wrote down $8 billion in the valuation of its holdings in five of the Saudi kingdom's megaprojects, including the flagship Neom project, the fund said in its 2024 annual report published on Aug. 13.

Saudi Arabia: Public Investment Fund Writes Down Value of Saudi Megaprojects by $8B

Angola

Botswana

Burundi

Central African Republic

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mozambique

Rwanda

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Qatar

Al Mansour Group chair and member of the Qatari royal family Sheikh Jassim bin Mansour bin Jabor al-Thani kicked off a tour of 10 countries across central and southern Africa, Radio France Internationale reported on Aug. 13.

Qatar: Prominent Royal Family Member Kicks Off Africa Tour 

Ahmed Haroun, the former head of Sudan’s banned National Congress Party, or NCP, said the Islamist movement could support prolonged rule by the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, following a hypothetical end of Sudan’s civil war, Reuters reported on July 25. 

Sudan: Islamists Hint at Long-Term Partnership With SAF

Assessments

Bahrain

Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks to U.S. and Qatari military personnel at the Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar, on May 15, 2025.

The U.S. president's pledge to defend Qatar may deter future Israeli attacks, but it is unlikely to deter Iranian aggression or allay Gulf states' greater concerns about Washington's commitment to their security.

Trump's Security Guarantees for Qatar Unlikely To Offer Enough Reassurance

Oman

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani chairing a preparatory meeting in Doha on Sept. 14, 2025, ahead of an Arab Islamic summit.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Sept. 9 strike on Qatar has amplified doubts among Gulf states about the reliability of U.S. security guarantees and Washington's ability to restrain its regional allies.

Israeli Strike on Qatar Prompts GCC States To Question Future of Regional Security

Lebanon

Turkey

Yemen

A picture taken from a distance shows the damaged building (L) in the Qatari compound housing members of Hamas' political bureau on Sept. 10, 2025. Israel targeted the building the previous day in a strike in Qatar's capital, Doha. 

Israel's Sept. 9 airstrikes in Qatar will likely harden the stances of Iranian-backed groups, keep normalization with Saudi Arabia off the table and drive more assertive postures from other regional states.

The Regional Implications of Israel's Strikes in Qatar

Snapshots

Saudi Mining and Industry Minister Bandar Al-Khorayef addresses the Future Mineral Forum in Riyadh on Jan. 10, 2024. 

Despite recent deals, the kingdom's mining sector will struggle to secure the level of investment needed to accomplish its Vision 2030 goals, though certain minerals adjacent to oil production, like lithium, are poised for greater growth.

The Challenges and Opportunities in Saudi Arabia's Mining Sector

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jassim al-Budaiwi and the foreign ministers from the six GCC countries (Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates) pose for a group photo during the GCC foreign minister meeting in Kuwait City on June 2, 2025.

Despite global economic uncertainty and oil price volatility, Gulf Arab states are expected to sustain solid economic growth, driven by strong fundamentals, substantial buffers and ongoing diversification efforts.

Solid Fundamentals Shield GCC Economies From Global Volatility

Media

Podcasts

How have Gulf Arab states' positions on the Israel-Iran conflict evolved?

Essential Geopolitics: The Future of Gulf-Iranian Relations

Columns

On Geopolitics

Vehicles drive along a main thoroughfare past a billboard that reads in Farsi and Hebrew: "A severe blow... The vile and villainous Zionist regime (Israel) has made a grave mistake,” in central Tehran on June 24, 2025. 

The war has weakened Iran, but has also shifted regional perceptions of Israel as a destabilizing force, prompting Gulf states to reassess alliances, Turkey to emerge as a rival, and raising the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Assessing the Regional Impact of the Israel-Iran War, Part 2

China

Global Trade

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

An oil tanker is seen at Saudi Arabia’s port of Ras al-Khair. 

Despite the ceasefire, the risk of a renewed conflict remains, which could again drive oil prices higher if Iran and/or its proxies begin attacking regional oil infrastructure and shipping.

Assessing the Oil Market Volatility Caused by the Israel-Iran War

Palestinian Territories

Syria

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) interacts with Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad (second from right) as they prepare to pose for photos with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders' Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025.

Despite Trump's recent sharp words on his predecessor's "forever wars," U.S. trade and energy interests will keep him engaged in the region, though in ways that rely more on economic and diplomatic leverage, as opposed to military campaigns.

Is the Era of U.S. Interventionism in the Middle East Over?

Kazakhstan

The OPEC logo is seen outside the bloc's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 4, 2022.

The production boost will further decrease oil prices, which will provide some financial relief for oil-consuming countries affected by U.S. tariffs, while further straining the budgets of poorer oil producers like Iraq. 

The Mixed Economic Impact of OPEC's Production Increase

A woman walks by anti-U.S. murals on the walls of the former U.S. embassy in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 11, 2025. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

The U.S. will likely have to allow some Iranian uranium enrichment to ink a nuclear deal, likely resulting in Saudi Arabia seeking similar provisions for its own civilian nuclear program.

With Iran and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Faces a Uranium Enrichment Dilemma

Comprising a majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is surrounded by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.  The kingdom's main geographic challenges are controlling its sparsely populated territory and maintaining shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.    Surrounded by vast deserts, the central Najd plateau is the core of Saudi Arabia and is home to the country's capital, Riyadh. Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, are protected by mountains in the west and flanked by the Red Sea. The security of these cities is a key to the monarchy's legitimacy.    The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I set the stage for the House of Saud to unify the territory that became Saudi Arabia in 1932. Oil and natural gas have been the country's main exports and source of wealth since their discovery in 1938.     A restive Eastern Province holds a majority of the kingdom's reserves and makes the country vulnerable to invasion from the north or the Persian Gulf. Cross border tribal ties also expose the kingdom to unrest in the south on the border with Yemen.    A scarcity of fresh water and a small population density limit Saudi Arabia's defensive capabilities. Since the vast majority of Saudi oil exports pass via the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, the kingdom has historically relied on a foreign power to balance regional rival, Iran and keep the Strait open.    As global oil consumption continues to rise, Saudi Arabia will continue to play a dominant role in the Middle East despite its geographic challenges.

The Syrian Civil War

The Saudi Survival Strategy

A Crude Recovery

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

SITUATION REPORTS

Global: OPEC+ Likely To Approve Another Production Hike at Next Meeting

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Pakistan Says Saudi Arabia Is Under Its Nuclear Umbrella

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan: Governments Sign Mutual Defense Pact

Sudan: SAF Rejects Truce Proposals From U.S.-Led Quartet

OPEC+: Bloc To Lift Oil Production Further in October

Saudi Arabia: Public Investment Fund Writes Down Value of Saudi Megaprojects by $8B

Qatar: Prominent Royal Family Member Kicks Off Africa Tour

Sudan: Islamists Hint at Long-Term Partnership With SAF

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