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.
Brian Katulis
The Wall Street Journal
RIYADH—A flurry of activity in the Saudi capital over the last week appears to reflect efforts by King Salman, who came to power nearly a year ago, to instill change at home–and may be a harbinger of the kingdom’s shifting role in the region in 2016.
Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting aimed at unifying the Syrian opposition and convened a gathering of top leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.
The former produced a plan to form a commission of the various Syrian opposition groups to prepare for possible negotiations with the Assad regime to end Syria’s civil war. Several efforts to negotiate an end to the four-year-old conflict have fallen apart over divisions between different opposition groups, and there is no guarantee that these latest efforts will last. Another challenge has been the disconnect between Syria’S political opposition figures and armed groups doing the fighting. A semblance of unity among Syrians opposed to Bashar al-Assad has been a key component missing from efforts to negotiate a settlement to the Syrian conflict.
At the GCC meeting, Arab leaders discussed diplomatic efforts to end the wars in Syria and Yemen and proposed an international reconstruction conference for Yemen. They discussed continued efforts to increase regional trade and economic integration in the GCC, and condemned recent statements against Muslims and refugees. This Saudi leadership on the regional front is a marked contrast to the country’s position on Syria two years ago, when the kingdom turned down a seat it had lobbied for on the United Nations Security Council to protest the Obama administration’s decision not to strike the Assad regime after it used chemical weapons, and to express the kingdom’s opposition to diplomatic negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.
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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Brian Katulis
The Wall Street Journal
RIYADH—A flurry of activity in the Saudi capital over the last week appears to reflect efforts by King Salman, who came to power nearly a year ago, to instill change at home–and may be a harbinger of the kingdom’s shifting role in the region in 2016.
Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting aimed at unifying the Syrian opposition and convened a gathering of top leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council.
The former produced a plan to form a commission of the various Syrian opposition groups to prepare for possible negotiations with the Assad regime to end Syria’s civil war. Several efforts to negotiate an end to the four-year-old conflict have fallen apart over divisions between different opposition groups, and there is no guarantee that these latest efforts will last. Another challenge has been the disconnect between Syria’S political opposition figures and armed groups doing the fighting. A semblance of unity among Syrians opposed to Bashar al-Assad has been a key component missing from efforts to negotiate a settlement to the Syrian conflict.
At the GCC meeting, Arab leaders discussed diplomatic efforts to end the wars in Syria and Yemen and proposed an international reconstruction conference for Yemen. They discussed continued efforts to increase regional trade and economic integration in the GCC, and condemned recent statements against Muslims and refugees. This Saudi leadership on the regional front is a marked contrast to the country’s position on Syria two years ago, when the kingdom turned down a seat it had lobbied for on the United Nations Security Council to protest the Obama administration’s decision not to strike the Assad regime after it used chemical weapons, and to express the kingdom’s opposition to diplomatic negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.