Energy and Politics in the Persian Gulf

The energy-based political economies of the Persian Gulf are entering a period of profound change. The impact of lower oil and gas prices intersects with the rise of younger and more assertive leadership in countries that are strategic American partners, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Along with the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, officials in these states are adopting long-term plans to diversify their economies, strengthen their private sectors and create jobs for growing workforces. These initiatives, which are developing amid intensified rivalry with Iran and a full-blown war in Yemen, aim to prepare for a transition in which hydrocarbons assume a smaller — yet still crucial — role in the region.

As the Arab world remains embroiled in conflict and political uncertainty seven years after the Arab Spring, is a “Gulf model” of development applicable to the wider Middle East? How will issues such as climate change, new regional splits and internal economic reforms affect stability and security in a region vital to U.S. strategic interests?

This conference, co-sponsored by the Baker Institute Center for the Middle East and Center for Energy Studies, addressed the impact and implications of these issues for Houston and for U.S. energy and security interests.

This event was part of the 25th anniversary commemorative programs featuring the centers and research of Rice University’s Baker Institute.

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To view the entire conference, please click below:

Panel 1
Panel 2
Keynote

Agenda

8:00 am			Breakfast
8:30 am			Welcoming Remarks The Honorable Edward P. Djerejian Director, Baker Institute
8:35 am			Introduction Jim Krane, Ph.D. Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies, Baker Institute
8:45 am			Panel I — Shifting Internal Dynamics in the Field of Oil Moderator: Nathan J. Citino, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, Rice University, and Rice Faculty Scholar, Baker Institute Shifting Internal Politics and Social Dynamics in the GCC F. Gregory Gause III, Ph.D. John H. Lindsey ’44 Chair, Professor of International Affairs and Head, International Affairs Department, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University Iran’s Persian Gulf Policy after the JCPOA Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Ph.D. Fellow for the Middle East, Baker Institute; and Associate Professor, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University Climate Strategy for Producer Countries: The Case of Saudi Arabia Jim Krane, Ph.D. Wallace S. Wilson Fellow for Energy Studies, Baker Institute
10:00 am			Break
10:15 am			Panel II — Escalating Regional Rivalries Moderator: Gabriel Collins, J.D., Baker Botts Fellow in Energy & Environmental Regulatory Affairs Regional Rivalries: The Results of U.S. Disengagement or More Assertive Leadership by U.S. Partners in the Gulf? Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Ph.D. Fellow for the Middle East, Baker Institute Washington, Tehran and Rising Tensions in the Gulf Suzanne Maloney, Ph.D. Deputy Director, Foreign Policy Program, and Senior Fellow, Center for Middle East Policy and Energy Security and Climate Initiative, Brookings Institution Is There a Future for the Gulf Cooperation Council After the Qatar Blockade? Abdullah Baaboud, Ph.D. Former Director, Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University; and Former Director, Gulf Research Center, University of Cambridge
11:30 am			Lunch
11:45 am			Shell Distinguished Lecture Keynote Address Developments in the Gulf as They Pertain to U.S. Interests: How has the Rise of More Assertive Regional Partners Affected U.S. Interests? The Honorable Gerald M. Feierstein Director, Government Relations, Policy and Programs, Middle East Institute; and Former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen
12:45 pm			Closing Remarks