Center Establishes Project on Saudi and Gulf Security

The Belfer Center has announced a new initiative­—The Project on Saudi and Gulf Cooperation Council Security—that will focus on defense, security, and intelligence issues related to the Gulf states.

 Expanding the already extensive work done by the Belfer Center through its Middle East Initiative and Iran Project,  the new project will examine regional tensions, rivalries, and conflicts that confront the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states—Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar—with a special emphasis on military and intelligence aspects. The project is made possible by a gift from Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

 The project will be directed by Defense and Intelligence Project Director BG Kevin Ryan (U.S. Army ret.).  

 “Maintaining peace and security in the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula is essential for a range of international interests,” said Belfer Center Director of Research Gary Samore. “We are deeply grateful to Prince Turki for his generous gift, which will allow us to focus attention on this critical set of issues.”