Afkār is a publication of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, providing short-form analyses, insights, and perspectives on regional issues and developments from the Council's experts and outside contributors. Afkār is published in English and Arabic, and is edited by Omar H. Rahman.
Rising regional escalation is exposing the limits of unilateral defense, pushing the GCC toward deeper coordination and collective air defense integration
As Iran and Israel reshape the region, GCC states must strengthen their own security architecture while avoiding entanglement in the emerging alliance trap.
Missiles may dominate headlines, but the deeper challenge for Gulf states lies in the economic and strategic disruption the conflict is imposing on their model of regional stability.