Michael Stephens

Michael Stephens is head of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Qatar.

About the author

Michael Stephens is a research fellow for Middle East studies and head of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Qatar.

The GCC will come back together after the storm, bruised and battered but not broken.

It is US retrenchment from the region that has been the cause of regional competition in the first place.

As with all things in Saudi Arabia, change happens slowly and at its own pace.

If the US is not willing to play a hegemonic role in the region, then Riyadh will have to step in.

The use of chemical munitions is becoming the norm in Syria and Iraq.

The YPG may seem to be good allies on paper, but if Syria’s central regions are alienated it may cause more trouble.

The wily king appears to have understood that to keep things the same, sometimes you have to make changes.

Saudi Arabia may balk at an Iran-backed actor gaining legitimacy through talks but it has little choice in the long run.

Money and expensive toys don’t buy regional stability.

Can Saudi Arabia manage the turbulent changes in the region without its king?