What’s the Future for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries? Implications of the Iran War

In the years leading up to the Iran War, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf region pursued forms of diplomatic rapprochement with Tehran, betting that improved relations would serve as the basis for a stable regional framework upon which each state might pursue their own interests. Diplomatic softening toward Tehran was not sufficient to protect the Gulf countries from Iranian missile and drone attacks, however, revealing critical defense gaps. What does the future hold for countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) that have sought to become global hubs for transportation, tourism, education, and real estate investment? And how will the states of the GCC pursue the economic development objectives required to weather the global energy sector’s impending shift from away from fossil fuel-based systems of consumption and production?

Deadline registration date

Feb 18, 2027, 12:00 PM MST

Bio:

Lisa Blaydes is Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs. She is the author of Elections and Distributive Politics in Mubarak’s Egypt (Cambridge University Press, 2010), State of Repression: Iraq under Saddam Hussein (Princeton University Press, 2018), and Social Authoritarianism: States and Status in Kuwait and the Arab Gulf Region (Cambridge University Press, 2027).  She holds degrees in Political Science (PhD) from the University of California, Los Angeles and International Relations (BA, MA) from Johns Hopkins University.

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