Kuwait and Oman hope for peace dividend
More cordial Saudi-Qatar relations raise hopes for economic and energy investment progress in other GCC allies. But serious challenges remain
The new leaders of Kuwait and Oman were among the most relieved when Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman embraced Sheikh Tamim of Qatar on the latter’s arrival for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Saudi Arabia in early January. But any optimism the two men might have that a new era of GCC cooperation could help supercharge their economies and energy sectors is tempered by significant domestic challenges. Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah became emir of Kuwait in September last year, nine months after Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was named sultan of Oman. Both are well aware that minimising regional feuds is essential if GCC states are to cope with the political, economic and health
Also in this section
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
8 January 2026
The next five years will be critical for the North Sea, and it will be policy not geology that will decide the basin’s future
