21-24 June: World National Oil Companies Congress, London
30 June-3 July: The 21st-Century Gulf: The Challenge of Identity, Exeter
7-10 July: First Gulf Research Meeting, Cambridge
Briefings & Reports
Untitled Page
Need an expert briefing to support an investment decision?
GSN’s team of experienced analysts are often called on by governments and their agencies, financial institutions, and energy companies to comment on developments in the Gulf region. Our analysts are available for private briefings (either by telephone or in person) and can produce tailored reports and research on a range of topics and issues. For more information contact Mark Ford. Email:mark@cbi-publishing.com
Politics, succession & risk in Saudi Arabia report
Politics, succession and risk in Saudi Arabia is a GSN special report, published in January 2010. The new report analyses Saudi policy on issues including succession, domestic and regional politics, defence, energy and financial trends, and features extensively researched biographical entries on 1,200 Al-Sauds from the ruling family’s main branch, together with profiles of leading cadet branch businessmen, and a range of maps and graphics.
Read more about the report
Islamic Finance Report
Published in June 2009, this GSN report is an essential reference tool for both newcomers, and well-established bankers and practitioners. Read more
Endorsements
"GSN now really is doing something (and at a quality level) that isn't available anywhere else that I know."
Professor Gerd Nonneman director Institute of Arab & Islamic Studies (IAIS), University of Exeter
"I have been a genuine admirer for many years. I regard GSN as the only one that focuses properly on Arabia and on Saudi Arabia in particular. That alone makes it very special as no country in the region is less understood in the UK than Saudi Arabia."
Stephen Day, consultant and former British ambassador
"GSN is by far the most professional and well-informed report on the region."
Luc Debieuvre, Bank Audi Saradar
"The website is excellent and adds value to an already very valuable publication"
José Silva Pereira general secretary Partex Oil and Gas
"Gulf States Newsletter provides a fund of information and insights for bankers and investors who are serious about doing business in the Gulf."
Francis Beddington, Banker and Economist
GSN’s county-by-country coverage of the Gulf.
Select the country you require by clicking on the name of that country in the map below. Each country page includes recent and archived GSN articles, maps, family trees, and other resources. Regionally focused articles on a selection of issues affecting the Gulf may be found on this page, below the map.
Issues and ideas - a selection of regionally-focused articles covering key topics.
As lenders decide whether to approve Dubai World’s $26bn debt standstill request, many questions remain – not least over other entities, the legal case and wider impact on the region Issue 868, 18 December 2009. more
Anger and denial mark this phase of Dubai’s debt crisis as investors ask how much more is to come
Markets quaked following the ‘bombshell news’ that $26bn of Dubai World’s debt had been put on standstill. Dubai, the UAE authorities and some western commentators reverted to their default position, arguing that markets over-reacted and that all was really very well, but the default may have revealed only the tip of an iceberg that hides more over-leveraged government-related entities with poor investment strategies, faulty business models and weak management Issue 867, 4 December 2009.more
Banks risky but Qatar does well, says study
A recently published study by San Francisco-based global investment firm Passport Capital says “the outlook on the banking sector across the GCC is nuanced, offers limited visibility for now, and is undoubtedly risky today”. Issue 861, 25 September 2009.more
It is clear the UAE disagrees with Qatar over its overtures to Israel, even if the differences are politely stated. Talking to GSN in Abu Dhabi, minister of state for foreign affairs Dr Anwar Gargash made plain his exasperation at the international community’s failure to take serious action over the continued expansion of Jewish settlements. Issue 868, 18 December 2009.more
Al-Suwaidi: weak central institution destroyed our faith in monetary union
The Central Bank of the UAE governor spoke to GSN about why the UAE pulled back from the current plan for GCC monetary union Issue 867, 4 December 2009. more
Encouraged by Washington, GCC builds up ‘five pillars of deterrence’
It is not just through trade and financial controls that the United States and its allies are gradually encircling Iran in an effort to throttle the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions. And the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states are playing a larger role in this process than seemed likely earlier this decade, when Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz led a move towards rapprochement with Tehran. Issue 863, 23 October 2009.more
As the international community debates its next steps on Iran’s nuclear programme, Washington has made a show of increasing its commitment to missile defence in the Gulf Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
The Obama administration is turning from engagement to containment as Tehran’s domestic crisis frustrates policy
United States policy on Iran is little clearer than it was the day President Barack Obama took office, according to GSN’s soundings among US diplomats and Central Command (Centcom) planners. Issue 870, 29 January 2010.more
‘Scorched earth’ in Yemen further raises regional temperature as US considers Iranian angle
Humanitarian concerns have forced a ceasefire in Yemen’s murderous Al-Houthi conflict amid signs that the Arab-Iranian ‘cold war’ is hotting up. With Saudi Arabia and Egypt joining the US in seeing wider regional significance in what has long been understood as a localised conflict, Ali Abdullah Saleh is looking to exploit a difficult situation Issue 864, 6 November 2009.more
As the international community debates its next steps on Iran’s nuclear programme, Washington has made a show of increasing its commitment to missile defence in the Gulf Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
How GCC systems fit into US plan
The United States’ announcement of the deployment of missile defence systems in Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states signals a tougher tone towards Iran rather than any major new military initiative in the region. Issue 871, 12 February 2010. more
US running out of options on Iran
The Obama administration is turning from engagement to containment as Tehran’s domestic crisis frustrates policy
United States policy on Iran is little clearer than it was the day President Barack Obama took office, according to GSN’s soundings among US diplomats and Central Command (Centcom) planners. Issue 870, 29 January 2010.more
Gulf states mediate in Palestinian-Israeli conflict
Saudi Arabia is taking a lead in helping to reconcile Fatah and Hamas to move ahead with the peace process Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Flight 253 scare sparks scramble for scanners
The attempted bombing of Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on 25 December is a wake-up call for the Gulf’s many powerful air carriers and airports, and will lead to a new wave of procurement of whole-body imaging scanners and explosive trace detectors. For major transit hubs such as Dubai, the challenge will be particularly onerous. Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Iranian role in Iraq kidnapping disputed
The US State Department and the UK Foreign Office cannot agree whether Iran was behind the kidnapping of British computer expert Peter Moore in Baghdad in March 2007. The Americans point to a plot directed by Tehran, but the British insist that, although the kidnappers – Asaib Ahl Al-Haq (League of the Righteous) – had the backing of the Iranian government, they were not taking orders from it. Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Al-Qaeda’s Yemen connection concentrates minds
AQAP’s move to the global stage means President Ali Abdullah Saleh is back in fashion in Washington, and the US is sending increased military and development aid to Sanaa Issue 869, 15 January 2010.more
Read more regionally-focused articles from the archives
