The New Diplomatic Weight of Gulf Countries
The political and economic weight of the Gulf monarchies has increased considerably. These countries have diversified their economies and become logistic hubs, attracting large numbers of investors. They have also managed to extend their power beyond their borders. However, the wider regional fallout of the war begun by Hamas on October 7, 2023 has cast doubt on the Gulf’s stability, especially as it seems that the American security umbrella can no longer be taken for granted
Over the past fifteen years, the Gulf monarchies have established themselves as major players, not only in the Middle East but more broadly on the international stage. Since the Arab Spring, they have become indispensable in most regional dynamics—from Egypt and Libya to Iraq and Syria—mobilizing their financial, energy, and diplomatic leverage to influence political developments in their regional environment. They are no longer limiting themselves to their immediate neighborhood: they are seeking to position themselves as global middle powers, capable of engaging in dialogue with Washington, Beijing, and Moscow, mediating in Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and projecting themselves as pivots of a multipolar world order in the making.
This new stature is the result of a profound transformation in their foreign policy priorities as well as their internal governance. However, it is fragile and faces serious limitations: their ambition to make economic development and connectivity a vector for regional stability is hampered by the resurgence of armed conflicts in the Middle East. At a time when the regional balance of power is shifting, the Gulf countries are struggling to impose a long-term vision for the region that matches the regional leadership they claim to have.
Camille Lons is assistant director of the French office of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).
This article is available only in French and has been published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 90, No. 4, 2025.
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