Abu Dhabi

October 7, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Saudi Arabia Needs a New Yemen Strategy to Defeat the Houthis

Israel’s formidable military and intelligence machines chewed up and spit out two of Iran’s most powerful regional proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah. Tehran’s militias in Iraq have proved far less capable...

September 17, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Saudi Arabia Picked a Fight With the Two Nations That Could Help It the Most Against the Houthis — Israel and the UAE

Riyadh is running out of options, and more importantly, it is running out of time.  In less than two weeks, Iran and its proxy militia in Yemen have effectively checkmated Saudi Arabia by severing...

September 17, 2026 | Bridget Toomey, RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery

Dark Transits are a Stopgap not a Solution

Washington has accomplished an important feat by stealthily moving oil through the Persian Gulf despite Iran’s proclaimed closure. But the means it has relied on can’t become normal maritime...

September 16, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

The Abraham Accords at Six: How a New Paradigm Outpaced the Old Peace

Six years after the Abraham Accords were signed on the White House lawn, perhaps the clearest evidence of how profoundly they have changed the Middle East came not at another diplomatic ceremony, but behind...

July 30, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

As Iran batters the Gulf states, Trump’s course is beyond clear

President Donald Trump says he has “plenty of time” for talks with Iran. That works because Washington, DC, is 7,000 miles away from the Strait of Hormuz. But if you are in Dubai,...

July 17, 2026 | Sinan Ciddi, Jack Burnham

Ankara’s Charm Offensive Should Not Buy Back the F-35

The choreography in Ankara last week was impressive, even by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s standards. Cannons fired, mounted honor guards paraded, and jets flew overhead trailing red, white, and blue smoke...

July 10, 2026 | Sinan Ciddi, Tyler Stapleton

Selling the S-400 to Qatar or the UAE Solves Turkey’s Problem, Not Washington’s

Turkey’s decade-long standoff with Washington over the S-400 may finally be nearing an inflection point, though not in the tidy way Ankara once imagined, and not without a fresh dose of frustration...

June 25, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

US kills Islamic State senior leader in Syria, Damascus rejects Lebanon intervention

On June 19, US Central Command (CENTCOM) carried out an airstrike targeting a senior leader of the Islamic State in Syria as the US maintains its decade-long campaign against the jihadist...

May 20, 2026 | Seth J. Frantzman |

Saudi Arabia and UAE say drone attacks were launched from Iraq

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said that recent drone attacks against their countries originated from Iraq. “The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday that six drones had been launched...

May 18, 2026 | David Daoud, Ahmad Sharawi

UAE sanctions Hezbollah-linked financial network, reflecting US designations

On May 12, the United Arab Emirates’ official news agency, Emirates News Agency, announced that Abu Dhabi had designated 16 Lebanese nationals and five Lebanon-based entities to its terrorism...

May 14, 2026 | Elaine K. Dezenski |

This Economic Weapon Is Worth Congress’s Attention

Currency swap lines are useful foreign-policy tools, but current law limits their availability.

May 12, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

Saudi Arabia’s strange war: Appease Iran, rebuff Israel

Riyadh’s muted response to Iranian aggression reveals a leadership driven more by fear and domestic troubles than coherent regional strategy

May 11, 2026 | Sinan Ciddi |

Turkey’s corridor dream won’t beat IMEC – but it could still reshape Eurasian trade

War has a way of redrawing maps – not just political ones, but commercial ones as well. The outbreak of conflict with Iran has disrupted longstanding trade arteries linking Asia to Europe, from Persian...

May 8, 2026 | |

Iran Attacks U.S. Navy Vessels Transiting Strait of Hormuz

Iran Attacks U.S. Vessels: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed on May 7 that “U.S. forces intercepted unprovoked Iranian attacks and responded with self-defense strikes as U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyers transited the Strait of Hormuz to the Gulf of Oman.” The statement noted that “Iranian forces launched multiple missiles, drones and small boats as USS Truxtun (DDG 103), USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115), and USS Mason (DDG 87) transited the international sea passage. No U.S. assets were struck.” CENTCOM added that it had “eliminated inbound threats and targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces including missile and drone launch sites; command and control locations; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance nodes.”

May 8, 2026 | Simone Rodan-Benzaquen |

Europe is writing itself out of the Middle East

The case for suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement on grounds of human rights is a powerful argument – as long as one doesn't look at what else Europe is doing in the region

May 4, 2026 | |

Iran Strikes UAE, International Ships as Ceasefire Teeters

Iran Renews Attacks on the UAE: The United Arab Emirates condemned what it called “renewed terrorist, unprovoked Iranian attacks targeting civilian sites and facilities in the...

April 29, 2026 | RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery |

Data Centers, Telecommunications Networks, and Space-Based Systems

Modernizing DHS’s SRMA Role for the Communications and IT Sectors

April 15, 2026 | Natalie Ecanow, Dana Hassan

Emirati Crown Prince’s Trip to China Underscores Importance of Petrodollar Dominance

Gulf energy exports have largely ground to a standstill, but the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains open for business. Emirati Crown Prince Khaled Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan concluded a three-day visit...

April 14, 2026 | Dr. Reza Arab, Saeed Ghasseminejad

Iran at a crossroads: Australia’s opportunities and pitfalls

Over the last few weeks, the Islamist regime in Tehran has expanded the scope of its hostage-taking operation. Not satisfied with only taking Western citizens hostage and then extorting their governments,...

April 13, 2026 | Hussain Abdul-Hussain |

How the UAE Is Cracking Down on Illicit Iranian Finance

Iran’s attacks on the Gulf state have created an opportunity to starve Iran’s proxy network of funds.