Gulf Nashra Weekly Digest
Gulf Pundits Debate Syria's New Transitional President and Trump's Forced Relocation of Palestinians; The Turkish-Saudi Arms Deal; New Oil Reserves Discovered in Kuwait.
Media Coverage
“Turkey Aims for $6 Billion Weapons Deal With Saudi Arabia” Bloomberg, 01/27/2025.
“Turkey’s government is hoping to reach a $6 billion defense deal with Saudi Arabia that could see the kingdom buy warships, tanks and missiles, according to Turkish officials familiar with the matter.”
Go Deeper: “Turkey’s Reconciliation Efforts in the Middle East” Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, 10/14/2024.
“Qatar's Emir visits Syria, first head of state to visit Damascus since Assad's fall” Reuters, 01/30/2025.
“Sharaa was declared transitional head of state and empowered to form a temporary legislative council on Wednesday, during a meeting of commanders of military groups that took part in the lightning offensive against Assad.”
“Khulaifi said Qatar hopes to increase aid to Syria and continue to offer support when it comes to electricity and the country's infrastructure.”
Go Deeper: Muriel, Asseburg. “Reconstruction in Syria: Challenges and Policy Options for the EU and its Member States” Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, 2020.
“Kuwait Oil Company discovered offshore field with estimated 800 mln oil barrels, KUNA reports” Reuters, 01/20/2025.
“Kuwait Oil Company said it has made a discovery "of large commercial volumes of hydrocarbons" at Al-Jlaiaa offshore field estimated at 800 million of medium-density oil barrels and 600 billion standard cubic feet of associated gas.”
Go Deeper: “Kuwait’s New Energy Strategy Takes Off but Oil’s Still Dominant” The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 05/14/2024.
“Saudi FM in Syria for first visit since Assad's ouster” France 24, 01/24/2025.
“Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said Friday the kingdom was seeking to help Syria's new authorities secure the lifting of international sanctions, during his first visit to Damascus since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.”
Go Deeper: “Saudi Arabia’s Cautious Embrace of The New Syria” Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (Doha), 01/12/2025.
“India-Oman trade pact talks to get push during Piyush Goyal’s Oman visit: Govt” The Economic Times, 01/26/2025.
“The talks on India-Oman CEPA, which are at an advanced stage, are likely to get further impetus during the visit. Both sides are negotiating and exploring a commercially significant, balanced, equitable, ambitious and mutually beneficial CEPA,” the commerce and industry ministry said in a statement.”
Go Deeper: “China-India Great Power Competition in the Indian Ocean Region: Issues for Congress” Congressional Research Service, 04/20/2018. [PDF].
“On behalf of HM King, HH Shaikh Nasser attends Bapco Energies Bahrain Golf Championship opening” Bahrain News Agency, 01/29/2025.
“The ceremony also featured a speech by Guy Kinnings, CEO of DP World Tour International Golf, followed by a musical performance and an immersive cinematic presentation showcasing the history of golf in Bahrain.”
Go Deeper: “A critical review on sport and the Arabian Peninsula – the current state of play and future directions” Taylor & Francis, 04/27/2023.
“Bahrain's non-oil exports of national origin hit $2.6bln in Q4” ZAWYA, 01/27/2025.
“The value of non-oil exports (National Origin) has decreased in Q4 2024 by 1% hitting BD1.002 billion ($2.64 billion) compared to BD1.01 billion ($2.67 billion) for same quarter in 2023. The top 10 countries accounted for 71% of the total export value, according to the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA).”
Go Deeper: “Bahrain non-oil Exports of National Origin reached 1002 Million in Q4 2024” Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA), 01/26/2025.
“General Manager of Microsoft Qatar: Advancing Digital Transformation in 143 Qatari Entities” Al-Raya, 01/27/2025. Arabic.
“A total of 143 government and semi-government entities rely on the Azure cloud platform, reflecting great confidence in our ability to provide innovative solutions that make a real difference.”
Go Deeper: “Digital Government in the Age of AI: Championing GCC Next-Gen Citizen Services” BCG Sportlight, 11/20/2024.
“The unemployment rate in the Sultanate of Oman drops to 3.3% by the end of November.” Oman newspaper, 01/27/2025. Arabic.
“According to data released by the National Centre for Statistics and Information, females constitute the majority of job seekers. In November, the unemployment rate among female job seekers stood at 10.4%, while the rate among males was significantly lower at 1.5%.”
Go Deeper: “[Oman] Monthly Statistical Bulletin: January 2025” National Centre for Statistics and Information, 01/2025. [PDF].
“Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports surge 19.7%: GASTAT” Arab News, 23/01/2025.
“Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports surged 19.7 percent year on year in November to reach SR26.92 billion ($7.18 billion), bolstering the Kingdom’s efforts to diversify its economy”
Go Deeper: Saudi Arabia- Budget Statement Fiscal Year 2024. [PDF].
Gulf Opinions
This week, Gulf commentators focused on Syria’s “declaration” of Ahmad Al-Sharaa as the Transitional President. Mamdouh Al-Muhaini, the Director of Al Arabiya and Al Hadath channels, asserts that Al-Sharaa is taking the right approach, as his “victory speech” avoids “religious and nationalist” ideological tendencies. Sawsan Al-Shaer, a Bahraini commentator, contends that Ahmad Al-Sharaa faces a significant dilemma: balancing the expectations of both the masses and the demands of the international and regional communities, which require a more moderate approach. Mishari Al-Dhaidi, a Saudi commentator, focuses on the dissolution of the Baath Party, arguing that it is too early to determine whether it will yield different results from the disbanding of Iraq’s Baath Party under Saddam Hussein.
Gulf commentators also focus on the U.S. President Donald Trump’s call to "clean out" Gaza and relocate Palestinians to Egypt and Jordan. Naser Al-Yahmdi, an Omani commentator, argues that such an evacuation would lead to the opposite of Trump's stated goal of achieving peace. Conversely, Othman Al-Majed, a Bahraini commentator, expresses optimism about Trump's return, believing that he will not only address domestic challenges in the United States, such as economic issues, but will also engage with global matters, including the Arab-Israeli conflict. In contrast, Yousif Al Dayni, a Saudi commentator, contends that Trump’s second term will prioritize domestic affairs over international politics, as evidenced by his statement on the Middle East, in which he declared that the conflict there is “their war.”
More Gulf Opinions:
"Enormous challenges continue to face the Arab regional system, and they must be addressed by the Arab trio that is both willing and capable of doing so. This trio consists of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt."
Salah Alghoul, Alkhaleej (UAE), 01/30/2025
“If some perceive Trump and Trumpism as political extremism, populism, or a right-wing inclination, they should remember that Trump was, in fact, a reaction to Obama."
Mishari Al-Dhaidi, Asharq Al Awsat (KSA), 01/26/2025.
Gulf Nashra Picks
Book: Al Mutlaq, Basma. (2025). Saudi women writers: sociopolitical and literary. Routledge.
Special Edition: Five years since Sutlan Haitham assumed power, “Five Years” Oman Daily, 01/29/2025. Arabic.
Research: “Economic Prospects and Policy Challenges for the GCC Countries”, International Monetary Fund (IMF), 12/19/2024, English.
Analysis: “Five GCC Economic Themes to Watch in 2025”, PwC Middle East, 01/08/2025, English.
Analysis: “The Gulf in 2025: Expert Outlook”, Gulf International Forum, 01/2025, English.
Analysis: “Distinguishing Myth From Reality: Saudi Arabia’s Trade and Investment With the United States” Tim Callen, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, 01/29/2025.
Interview: “Diplomacy amid Disorder,” (conversation with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and others), World Economic Forum, 01/22/2025.
Interview: “Conversation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar” World Economic Forum, 01/22/2025.
Podcast: “The transformation of Saudi Defense with Bilal Saab” The Majlis, 01/26/2025, English.
Podcast: “What Do Women Need in the Business World? With H.E. Noor Al-Tamimi” Arab Cast: Three Quarters Podcast, 01/24/2024, Arabic.