Joseph Bahout is a visiting scholar in the Carnegie Middle East program. While his main topic of research is the Levant, namely the politics of Lebanon and Syria, Bahout has been closely following events in Saudi Arabia in recent months, in particular the succession question in the kingdom, contributing a number of posts on the matter for Diwan. In mid-December, he was in Beirut for the annual conference of the Carnegie Middle East Center, and Diwan caught up with him to get his end-of-year view of developments in Saudi Arabia, in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and in U.S.-Saudi relations.
The Gulf in Arabia
Carnegie’s Joseph Bahout discusses the transformations in Saudi Arabia and the GCC, and the risks involved.
More work from Diwan
Anatomy of a Military FallWhy did Bashar al-Assad’s armed forces fail to act, unlike those in Egypt, Libya, Algeria, and Sudan?
Eastern Syria After AssadThe SDF has expanded its control over Deir al-Zor, but may soon find itself overstretched and facing Turkish allies.
- Wladimir van Wilgenburg
Bashar al-Assad of Syria Has Been Ousted From PowerSpot analysis from Carnegie scholars on events relating to the Middle East and North Africa.
Why Did Iran Allow Bashar al-Assad’s Downfall?Tehran may have assumed there would be opportunities to exploit in Syria’s likely instability in the future.
A Lot of Gray in Going GreenIn an interview, Yezid Sayigh discusses how military-managed projects in Egypt can advance environmental objectives.
