Executive summary Over the past decades, Saudi Arabia has undertaken significant reforms to expand women’s participation in public life under Vision 2030. Legal changes have reduced formal restrictions on guardianship and affirmed women’s independent access to healthcare services. Female labor force participation has increased substantially, and women now constitute a growing proportion of the healthcare[…]
04
Aug
Aug
The security architecture of the Middle East has entered a period of profound instability following a coordinated US-Israeli military campaign against Iranian targets. The initial strikes, intended to degrade Tehran’s strategic capabilities, have instead triggered a wider theater of war across the Persian Gulf. For the Gulf states, the strategic partnership of hosting US bases[…]
27
Apr
Apr
According to the International Labour Organization there are 24 million migrant workers residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council states. The Gulf region is the world’s hub for overseas workers. Migrant workers make up a significant percentage of the total 62 million people living in GCC countries, yet they suffer systemic discrimination. Migrant workers in the[…]
24
Apr
Apr
As the world’s attention remains fixed on the latest developments in the war in Iran, Saudi Arabia has quietly proceeded with the execution of a prominent businessman, Saud al-Faraj, for his involvement in the 2011 anti-government demonstrations in Qatif, where protesters had called for greater democracy and reform. Al-Faraj was arrested in 2019 following a[…]
15
Apr
Apr
For decades, Gulf governments have promoted the narrative that their states are islands of stability in an otherwise turbulent region. Through economic diversification and careful geopolitical balancing, countries such as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain have positioned themselves as pragmatic actors committed to stability and economic prosperity. Amid the current[…]
