The twelfth annual Gulf Studies Forum concluded in Doha on Sunday, 14 December 2025. The forum was organized by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies and held over two days. This year’s forum was structured around two parallel tracks: the first examining “Arab Gulf States and Transformations in the Arab Mashreq”, while the second addressed “Social Media in the Gulf: The Construction of the Political and Civil Sphere”. Across both tracks, 40 researchers from the Gulf and beyond presented their papers over a total of 16 sessions.
The Arab Gulf States and Transformations in the Mashreq
Continuing discussions within this track, the fourth session, moderated by Yousuf Al-Balushi, examined “The Impact of Transformations in the Arab Mashreq on Energy and the Economy”. In this session, Abdullah Baaboud presented “The Impact of Transformations in the Arab Mashreq on the Region's Energy Map and Economic Corridors”, exploring the effects of political, security, and economic transformations on regional energy maps and logistical transit routes in the Mashreq. In his paper, “Energy Links between the Gulf and the Mashreq: Present Status and Future Prospects”, Naji Abi-Aad assessed the current state of energy interconnections between the Gulf and the Mashreq, identifying key successes, failures, and their underlying causes. Bader Alibrahim’s paper, “The Challenge of Durability: Redefining Gulf Influence in the Arab Mashreq”, examined the reality of Gulf influence in the Mashreq and the prospects for transforming it into more sustainable leverage through the lens of “asymmetric interdependence”.
The fifth session, titled “Reconfiguring Gulf Agency: Political and Security Approaches”, was chaired by Mohammed Al-Mesfer. Dhafer Al-Ajmi’s paper “How the Gulf Reintroduced Itself: From Financing to Political and Diplomatic Agency”, argued that the profound strategic transformations witnessed by the Gulf states over the past two decades have shifted them from a focus on internal security to active engagement in regional and international affairs, positioning them as influential mediators and key actors in managing regional and global crises. Khalifa Alkuwari presented “Gulf Cyber Threats in Light of Mashreq Transformations: Toward a Regional Defence System and Effective Cyber Diplomacy”, addressing emerging cybersecurity challenges facing GCC states amid rapid geopolitical transformations in the Mashreq and highlighting the rise of what is known as the “grey cyber domain,” in which cyberattacks have become a primary tool of regional conflict. In his paper, “Gulf Security in Trump's Second Term: The Anxious Alliance and the Reconfiguration of Security Guarantees (2025–2029)”, Muhanad Seloom argued that the transactional nature of US foreign policy has reshaped Gulf alliance patterns, shifting from a model of collective security guarantees to one of conditional, differentiated guarantees based on each state’s position within the regional system.
The final session in this track was titled “Arab Gulf States and Mashreq Transformations: Case Studies”, moderated by Abdulnabi Al-Ekry. Ahmad Jamil Azem’s paper “Saudi Foreign Policy and the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution”, argued that the events of 7 October and the subsequent war and regional and international interactions constituted a real test for several existing regional projects and political programmes. Faozi Al-Goidi presented “Why Has US Policy Failed to Halt Houthi Attacks and What Are the Implications for the Gulf States?”, arguing that the repeated Houthi attacks on shipping and subsequent US operations highlight the limits of conventional deterrence and underscore the need to redefine Gulf maritime security within a changing regional environment. Finally, Betul Dogan-Akkas presented, “Can Gulf States Be a Power Broker in Post-Assad Syria?”, arguing that the evolving political landscape necessitates a comprehensive reassessment of Gulf states’ policies towards Syria.
Social Media, Education, Politics, Influencers, and Legal Framing
The second track began with its fifth session, “Education Through Social Media”, chaired by Alanoud Alsharekh. Rafiah bint Salman Altalei presented “Social Media and Gender Issues in the Gulf “, analysing how social media platforms in the Gulf are used to target women’s rights advocates and combat feminism as both discourse and social-political practice. In their paper, “Media Literacy in the Gulf Context: A Systematic Review of Conceptual Frameworks in the Age of Social Media”, Moza bint Abdullah Al-Maqbaliya and Yousra Mohmmed Al-Mughairi offered a systematic review of Gulf literature on media literacy between 2015 and 2025 using bibliometric and content analysis. Ahmad M J Alfawair then presented in his paper with Buthaina Nasser Alyahyaee, “The Relationship between Social Media Addiction and Intellectual Extremism from the Perspective of University of Nizwa Students in Oman”, examining the correlation between intellectual extremism and addiction to social media among Omani university students.
The sixth session, “Political Interactions as Reflected on Social Media”, was chaired by Saleh Abdullah Al Khulaifi. Yagoub Yousif Mohammed Al-Kandari and Mohammad Yaqoub Alkandari’s paper “Dissolution of the Kuwaiti National Assembly and Its Impact on Members' Political Views: An Analysis of Their Posts on X”, analysed how the dissolution decision affected the positions of the fifty elected MPs by tracing their online engagement before and after the decision. In their paper, “Transformations in the Digital Engagement of Omani Youth with the Palestinian Cause after the Events of 7 October: An Analytical Reading”, Wadhha Shamis Al-Kiyumi and Safiya Salem Al-Hashemi examined how the events of 7 October 2023 reinvigorated Palestinian issues within Omani youth’s digital discourse. Ecaterina Elena Matoi then presented “The Abrahamic Family House in the Wake of the Abraham Accords (2020-2025): A Social Media Analysis of UAE's Interfaith Diplomacy”, based on qualitative analysis of X posts during that period.
The seventh session, “Social Media as a Political Act”, chaired by Sadiq Al Ammari, featured Fahad Al-Fadala’s paper “The Role of Small Political Groups in Utilizing Social Media in Kuwait: The Case of the Group of Eighty”, analysing how small political groups use social media as a strategic tool to influence public opinion and political decision-making. Sahar Khamis examined digital political activism among youth from the Gulf diaspora in her paper “Digital Spheres of Political Activism in the Diaspora: Voices from the Gulf”.
The eighth session, “Social Media and Gulf Influencers”, chaired by Hasan Madan, featured Mohammed Hassan Al-Kaabi & Abdulrahman Albaker’s paper “From Legal Jurist to Influencer: Traditional Structures of Legal Education Confronting Social Media Legal Personalities”, which explored the transformation of legal education in Qatar with the rise of “legal influencers” on social media. Magdalena Karolak analysed the role of influencers in shaping Saudi Arabia’s tourism image in “Social Media Influencers as Co-Creators of Saudi Arabia's Tourism Image”.
The ninth session, “Social Media Between Legal Framework and Regulatory Surveillance”, chaired by Fahad Alnaser, included Bilal Sandid’s paper “Freedom of Digital Expression and Public Order: A Study in Kuwaiti and Comparative Law”. Ahmed Badran and Sara Badran presented “Should Social Media Come Under Regulatory Purview? Ethical Considerations of Influencer Marketing in the GCC Region”, examining ethical considerations related to influencer marketing in GCC states.
The forum concluded with the tenth session, “The Ontology of Social Media”, chaired by Haider Saeed. Nasser Saleh Al Gheilani presented “The Question of ‘Being’ and the ‘Being’ of Omanis on Social Media”, drawing on Martin Heidegger’s concepts of technology, being, and authentic and inauthentic existence, through reflections on Oman’s 2011 protest experience. Ahmad Khaldi presented “The Effect of Social Media on Users' Westernization, Lifestyle Dimensions, and Materialism in the Arabian Gulf: The Case of Kuwait”, which found moderate levels of social media use but a clear influence on consumer lifestyles and material values.
At the conclusion of the session, Haider Saeed formally announced the close of the twelfth annual Gulf Studies Forum, outlining key concluding remarks and future steps for publishing the forum’s proceedings.
