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.
As Saudi Arabia and the UAE deepen technology ties with South Korea and Japan, the objective should be to move beyond buying and testing foreign technology. Gulf governments should use their capital, industrial demand, and market access to secure a stake in the products they help develop, and the revenues those products generate abroad.
Houthi escalation is testing regional security. Its consequences extend beyond military targets, shipping routes, and national borders to civilian lives—and risk eroding the current rules of engagement.
The departure of U.S.-led coalition forces removes a longstanding source of contention in Iraq while exposing a deeper struggle over who controls the use of force.