Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
Middle East Policy Council
The Middle East Policy Council published the following press release containing a summary of our 66th Capitol Hill Conference in the context of today’s news that the U.S. has accused men linked to the government of Iran with a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arab Awakening Reveals Unsettled Saudi Relations with Iran
Regional Instability Will Impact Balance of Power in the Gulf
WASHINGTON, October 11, 2011 – Analysts at the Middle East Policy Council’s 66th Capitol Hill Conference on Friday titled “A Reawakened Rivalry? The GCC v. Iran” addressed the dynamics of the relationships between GCC states (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain) and Iran in the context of recent political upheavals in the broader Middle East.
The event was particularly timely in light of the news today that the U.S. has accused men with links to the Iranian government with plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States and to bomb the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington.
“This event helps explain how these states see each other and the gains and losses that the Arab Awakening can produce,” said Thomas R. Mattair, the Executive Director of the Middle East Policy Council.
Mattair and the other speakers at the event, including Thomas Lippman and Alex Vatanka – both respected scholars in the field – portrayed varying motives and perspectives of political leaders in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC. While each speaker emphasized that the evidence to date suggests that Iran is playing a careful role as unrest sweeps the region, there were differences in how they think the unsettled political landscape in the region would ultimately affect the balance of power in the Gulf.
• Thomas Lippman concluded that the U.S. – Saudi security relationship would remain a constant despite tension in the broader relationship related to the effect of U.S. policy since the Iraq invasion in strengthening Iran’s power in the region.
• Alex Vatanka viewed Iran’s lack of response to Saudi military action to quell Bahraini protests as evidence that Tehran policy is to further a more neutral relationship with Saudi Arabia and prevent the GCC from becoming a platform for broader Western opposition and isolation of the Iranian regime.
• Thomas Mattair argued that the GCC states are making geopolitical calculations about how to reduce Iran’s influence in the Arab world, that Egypt will not draw close to Iran, that Iran stands to lose a key strategic ally in Syria, and that the success of the GCC intervention in Bahrain to foreclose Iranian opportunism there now depends on Bahrain introducing more serious reform.
The Middle East Policy Council publishes a transcript of each Capitol Hill Conference in its journal Middle East Policy and on its website www.mepc.org where video from the event can also be accessed.
Middle East Policy has been one of the world’s most cited publications on the region since its inception in 1982, and our Breaking Analysis series makes high-quality, diverse analysis available to a broader audience.
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One of the most frequently cited journals on the Middle East in the field of international affairs, Middle East Policy has been engaging thoughtful minds for more than 40 years with high-quality, diverse analysis on the region.
Middle East Policy Council
The Middle East Policy Council published the following press release containing a summary of our 66th Capitol Hill Conference in the context of today’s news that the U.S. has accused men linked to the government of Iran with a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Arab Awakening Reveals Unsettled Saudi Relations with Iran
Regional Instability Will Impact Balance of Power in the Gulf
WASHINGTON, October 11, 2011 – Analysts at the Middle East Policy Council’s 66th Capitol Hill Conference on Friday titled “A Reawakened Rivalry? The GCC v. Iran” addressed the dynamics of the relationships between GCC states (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain) and Iran in the context of recent political upheavals in the broader Middle East.
The event was particularly timely in light of the news today that the U.S. has accused men with links to the Iranian government with plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States and to bomb the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington.
“This event helps explain how these states see each other and the gains and losses that the Arab Awakening can produce,” said Thomas R. Mattair, the Executive Director of the Middle East Policy Council.
Mattair and the other speakers at the event, including Thomas Lippman and Alex Vatanka – both respected scholars in the field – portrayed varying motives and perspectives of political leaders in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the broader GCC. While each speaker emphasized that the evidence to date suggests that Iran is playing a careful role as unrest sweeps the region, there were differences in how they think the unsettled political landscape in the region would ultimately affect the balance of power in the Gulf.
The Middle East Policy Council publishes a transcript of each Capitol Hill Conference in its journal Middle East Policy and on its website www.mepc.org where video from the event can also be accessed.
Contacts:
In Washington – mepc.press@gmail.com