The "Gulf Insights" series is published by the Gulf Studies Center on a weekly base with the aim to promote informed debate with academic depth. The Gulf Insights are commentaries on pressing regional issues written by the GSC/GSP faculty, staff and PhD and MA students, and they can be between 1,200 to 1,500 words.
All articles published under “Gulf Insights” series have been discussed internally but they reflect the opinion and views of the authors and do not reflect the views of the Center, the College of Arts and Sciences, or Qatar University.
Coordinators of the series from October 2022:
Cluster Politics and Security: Dr. Luciano Zaccara, Research Associate Professor, GSC, QU.
Cluster Economy and Energy: Dr. Nikolay Kozhanov, Research Associate Professor, GSC, QU.
Cluster Society and Culture: Dr. Md Mizanur Rahman, Research Associate Professor, GSC, QU.
Editor and designer: Thouria Bilal Deeb Mahmoud, Senior Editor, GSC, QU.
Coordinator of the series from 2016 until October 2022: Dr. Luciano Zaccara, Research Associate Professor in Gulf Politics, GSC, QU.
Editor: Thouria Bilal Deeb Mahmoud, Senior Editor, GSC, QU
Designer: Nesibe Hicret Battaloglu, Research Assistant, GSC, QU.
Published Gulf Insights
Nº92 April 2024
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine: Consequences on Oil and Gas Exports of the Gulf Countries
Iryna Rishniak
Nº91 March 2024
Saudi Arabia’s Cultural Renaissance: Societal Codes and Embrace
Sinem Cengiz
Nº90 March 2024
Arab Opinion on Iran: The Gaza War Perspective
Nesibe Hicret Battaloglu & Luciano Zaccara
Nº89 February 2024
The Art of Gulf Diplomacy: Kuwait’s New Emir Embarks on a GCC Tour
Sinem Cengiz & Amna Sadiq
Nº88 February 2024
Educational Diplomacy at Stake: Closure of a US University Branch in Qatar
Sharique Umar
Nº87 February 2024
IRAQ Provincial Elections 2023: A Decade in the Making
Abdulla Al-Khazraji
Nº86 December 2023
Navigating Change: A Closer Look at Kuwait’s New Leadership and Policy Priorities
Sinem Cengiz
Nº85 December 2023
Saudi Arabia’s Sport Investment Strategy: A Driver for Diversification, Empowerment, and Identity Construction
Sebastian Sons
Nº84 December 2023
Gulf Food Security in the Times of Conflict: How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Impacts Grain Imports by The GCC Member States
Iryna Rishniak
Nº83 December 2023
The 44th GCC Summit in Qatar: A Brief Review
Amna Sadiq
Nº82 October 2023
The Gulf Regional Implication of the Gaza War
Luciano Zaccara
Nº81 September 2023
New Saudi generation reestablishes Al-Balad to keep the past alive
Sinem Cengiz
Nº80 June 2023
Qatar Central Municipal Council elections 22 June 2023
Luciano Zaccara
Nº79 June 2023
Kuwait Legislative Elections 2023
Luciano Zaccara & Ismail Zahirovic
Nº78 May 2023
Qatar’s Humanitarianism: Between Altruism and Realpolitik
Sharique Umar
Nº77 April 2023
Political Dynamics Surrounding Iraq’s Electoral Law
Abdulla Al-Khazraji
Nº76 April 2023
What Iran gains from the recently signed deal with Saudi Arabia
Luciano Zaccara
Nº75 March 2023
Her Excellency, Not His: Gulf Women Breaking Diplomatic Tradition
Sinem Cengiz
Nº74 March 2023
Al-Zubara – Preserving History and Making History
Lakshmi Venugopal Menon & Farah Al Qawasmi
Nº73 February 2023
Lifestyle Barriers to Physical Fitness in Kuwait and the Need for a Revision in Public Policies
E. Esra Erturan-Ogut
Nº72 February 2023
Quest for the Best: Foreign Athletes as High-Skilled Migrants in the Gulf Region
Sharique Umar
Nº71 January 2023
Reconciliation in the Gulf: the Case of Iran-Saudi Arabia Talks
Mahjoob Zweiri & Nesibe Hicret Battaloglu
Nº70 January 2023
Challenges Facing the Iraqi Government for 2023
Abdulla Farooq Hassan
Nº69 January 2023
Post-World Cup 2022: What Potential Legacies Qatar Can Build On
Sinem Cengiz
Nº68 December 2022
Mahjoob Zweiri & Farah Al Qawasmi
Nº67 November 2022
The Fire in the Next Door: Popular Protests in Iran and the Responses from the GCC
Nesibe Hicret Battaloglu
Nº66 November 2022
China and Europe in the Gulf: Competitor or Collaborator?
Tingyi Wang
Nº65 October 2022
The Crisis in Iraq: Should Gulf Be Worried?
Mahjoob Zweiri & Lakshmi Venugopal Menon
Nº64 October 2022
Kuwait 2022 Parliamentary Elections: Key Characteristics and Future Prospects
Kazuto Matsuda & Thomas Bonnie James
Nº63 October 2022
Assessing the Socio-political Aspect of Kuwait’s 2022 Parliamentary Elections: Kuwaitis Vote for Change
Sinem Cengiz
Nº62 July 2022
Environmental Cooperation in the Red Sea: a lost opportunity?
Victoria Silva Sánchez
Nº61 May 2022
Lebanon’s Elections: What next?
Simon Mabon and Elias Ghazal
Nº60 May 2022
Yemeni Presidential Council and the GCC: Renewed Vigor or More of the Same
Mahjoob Zweiri and Lakshmi Menon Venugopal
Nº59 April 2022
Look East and Move Beyond Oil and Blue Diamond: Saudi Arabia-Thailand Diplomatic Revival and Normalisation
Vorachai Israsena-Pichitkanjanakul
Nº58 April 2022
Argentina-Qatar: Political and Economic Relations and the Bet on Building Long-lasting Ties.
Mariela Cuadro and Ornela Fabani
Nº57 March 2022
Israel and the Persian Gulf: Impact of US Offshore Balancing Strategy
JavadHeiran-Nia
Nº56 March 2022
Regional actor transformed into an international key-player: The Qatar entrance in the Ukraine crisis.
Leticia Rodríguez
Nº55 February 2022
Houthi posturing, not mere retaliation
Fernando Carvajal
Nº54 February 2022
The Latin American Region and the UAE Nexus
Thomas Bonnie James and Shaikha Majed Al-Moslemani
Nº53 December 2021
What lessons we can take from The 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
Mahfoud Amara
Nº52 December 2021
Saudi Arabia’s Quiet Diplomacy with Iran
Hazal Muslu El Berni
Nº51 December 2021
GCC’s Evolving Cities and the Dearth in Urban Planning
Lakshmi Venugopal Menon
Nº50 November 2021
Al-UlaDeclaration: A Window of Opportunity for Wider Regional Reconciliation?
Nesibe Hicret Battaloglu
Nº49 November 2021
Varying Perspectives: The Al-Ula Agreement and the Future of the GCC
Thomas Bonnie James
Nº48 September 2021
QATAR The First Shura Council Elections
Luciano Zaccara
Nº47 June 2021
Iran Presidential elections 2021: What the numbers say
Luciano Zaccara
Nº46 June 2021
The Qatar Shura Council Elections: A Preliminary assessment
Luciano Zaccara and Salem Ghurab
Nº45 June 2021
Qatar: The End of a Blockade, The start of a New Era
Mahjoob Zweiri and Farah Al Qawasmi
Nº44 May 2021
India’s Vaccine-diplomacy with the GCC
Lakshmi Venugopal Menon and Thomas Bonnie James
Nº43 May 2021
Women’s Rights and Intersectionality in the Gulf-Identity Politics, the Question of Inclusion and Representation.
Zarqa Parvez
Nº42 February 2021
King-making amid the Gulf Crisis
Bulent Aras and Emirhan Yorulmazlar
Nº41 December 2020
The Challenges of 2020 and the Future of Political Reforms in the GCC
Cihat Battaloglu
Nº40 December 2020
Trump Gone: What does it mean for the GCC
Hamdullah Baycar and Huzeyfe Altiok
Nº39 December 2020
Can 2021 be the year Iran and the GCC States engage in dialogue?
Mehran Haghirian
Nº38 November 2020
Cooperation between the UAE and Israel in the Oil Market: Can it go beyond Political Considerations?
Nikolay Kozhanov
Nº37 November 2020
The Gulf and the smart city movement in the Middle East
Javier Guirado
Nº36 September 2020
Consequences of Kuwaiti Succession for the GCC
Courtney Freer
Nº35 August 2020
The UAE-Israel Normalisation “If you can’t convince them, confuse them”
Mahjoob Zweiri
Nº34 July 2020
Is the Strait of Hormuz still a vital energy route? Alternatives between Ambition and Reality
هل لا يزال مضيق هرمز معبراً عالمياً حيوياً للطاقة؟ البدائل بين الواقع والطموح
Mahjoob Zweiri & Yara Nassar
Nº33 July 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
How sanctions and the pandemic affect Iran’s economy.
Djavad Salehi-Isfahani
Nº32 June 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Oman: Food Security in Times of Uncertainty
Gertjan Hoetjes
Nº31 June 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Missed Opportunities: The Trump Administration, Iran, and the Coronavirus Pandemic
Juan Cole
Nº30 May 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Navigating Troubled Waters: Experts’ Views on GCC Challenges for Socio-Economic Recovery in the Post-Covid-19 Period
Nikolay Kozhanov and Luciano Zaccara (eds.)
Nº29 May 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Covid-19 Crisis and Iran-Turkey-Qatar Relations: Economic Downgrade and Corona Diplomacy
Nesibe Hicret Battaloglu
Nº28 May 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Covid-19 in War-Ravaged Yemen: Ends or doubles the war?
Betul Dogan-Akkas
Nº27 May 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Covid-19 in Saudi Arabia: Beyond the health crisis
Antonino Occhiuto
Nº26 April 2020
Saudi Arabia in Struggle for the Chinese Oil Market: the Price War as Necessity
Nikolay Kozhanov
Nº25 April 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
The Covid-19 Pandemic: Vulnerability of Migrant workers in the GCC States
Md Mizanur Rahman
Nº24 April 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Pandemic threatens to drive wedge into US-Gulf relations
James M. Dorsey
Nº23 April 2020
Saudi Arabia: More Room for Wahhabism Lite?
Paul Aarts
Nº22 April 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Covid-19, a Common Threat towards Intrusive Regionalism
Mahdokht Zakeri
Nº21 April 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Covid-19 in Qatar: Well Versed in Crisis Management
Marc Owen Jones
Nº20 April 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
Covid-19 in Kuwait: An Opportunity for the Government
Hamad H. Albloshi
Nº19 April 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
COVID-19 and Plummeting Oil Prices; a Time of Reckoning for Oman
Ahmed Ali M. al Mukhaini
Nº18 March 2020 [Covid-19 in the Gulf Special Coverage]
The Sudden Cost of Unexpected Threats: The Novel Coronavirus and Dubai
Hamdullah Baycar
Nº17 March 2020
Iran: Legislative elections 21st February 2020
Luciano Zaccara
Nº16 February 2020
Reconstructing the Event: The Repercussions of Soleimani’s Assassination in the GCC
Erick Viramontes
Nº15 February 2020
Natural Gas in the Gulf: From a Failed Regional Gas Grid to an Emerging Intra-Gulf LNG Market?
Naji Abi-Aad
Nº14 January 2020
Arabian Gulf Cup offers hope of diplomatic breakthrough
John McManus
Nº13 December 2019
Moving Towards a Knowledge-Based Economy in Qatar: What Is Needed To Enable ICT, Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship?
Tarek Ben Hassen and Fatima Al-Dhaheri
Nº12 December 2019
Economic Drivers of the GCC Investments in the Horn of Africa Region
Héla Miniaoui
Nº11 November 2019
العنوان: مبادرة هرمز للسلام الإيرانية والبلدان المجاورة: نموذج هلسنكي
Iran Hormuz Peace Initiative and the Neighboring Countries: The Helsinki Model
Mahjoob Zweiri and Muyassar Suleiman
Nº10 October 2019
Can Pakistan mend relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran?
Ana Ballesteros Peiró
Nº9 October 2019
Drone Attacks on Saudi Arabia’s Oil Refining Facilities: Lessons to be Learnt
Nikolay Kozhanov
Nº8 April 2019
Iran’s Economic Challenges in the New Year: Problems with(out) Solutions?
Nikolay Kozhanov
Nº7 February 2019
Food Security in Qatar: Threats and opportunities
Hussein A. Amery
Nº6 February 2019
Nº5 January 2019
Qatar’s Exit from the OPEC: Economically Driven, Politically Determined
Nikolay Kozhanov
Nº4 November 2018
Blood Diplomacy: Saudi Arabia between Yemen and Jamal Khashoggi
Paulino R. Robles-Gil Cozzi
Nº3 November 2018
The causes and consequences of the dispute between Canada and Saudi Arabia
Thomas Juneau
Nº2 April 2016
Internal Mechanisms and the Political Establishment in the Islamic Republic of Iran: Myth of Reality
Mahjoob Zweiri
Nº1 March 2016
Who won the Iranian elections?
Luciano Zaccara