The Gulf monarchies’ expanding role in mediating conflicts ranging from Gaza to Ukraine reflects a growing belief in the international community and among analysts that Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have the connections and leverage needed to “get things done”.
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Unlike great powers, which were often overly involved in conflicts to be considered fair arbiters, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states were “generally able and willing” to talk to all sides, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Middle East fellow of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in Houston.
The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
With their “convening power”, the Gulf monarchies could leverage their extensive global relationships to pass messages or maintain indirect channels of dialogue until “conditions are right for adversaries to engage directly with each other,” Ulrichsen told This Week In Asia.
This was evident from Qatar’s hosting of a Taliban delegation at the US’ request since 2012, which ultimately enabled Doha to mediate a 2020 peace deal resulting in the withdrawal of US-led occupation forces from Afghanistan the following year.
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Likewise, Doha has accommodated the political leadership of Hamas for years at the request of the US and Israel and used its leverage over the Palestinian militant group to extract concessions while playing the role of interlocutor during ceasefire negotiations since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023.