The ACRPS Gulf and Arab Peninsula Studies Unit is holding its twelfth annual Gulf Studies Forum in Doha from 13-14 December 2025. This year, the Forum addresses the topics of “Gulf States and Transformations in the Arab Mashreq” and “Social Media in the Gulf: The Construction of the Political and Civil Sphere” in sixteen parallel sessions.

The Forum programme includes six sessions examining the topic of the Gulf States and Transformations in the Arab Mashreq, looking closely at the repercussions of these transformations on Gulf security, and their impact on energy and economic dynamics. This theme provides a platform for discussing the reshaping of Gulf influence in light of new security and political approaches, in addition to exploring specific case studies involving the Mashreq transformations in relation to the GCC countries.

A further ten sessions in the second track explore the Gulf’s digital societies and the representations of identity on social media, as well as the manifestations of tribalism and social bonds through these platforms. It also includes an open dialogue with Gulf podcasters. The track contains discussions of online consumer behaviour, patterns of political interaction on these platforms, the role of social media and its emerging functions, the legal frameworks governing the field and digital censorship, and, ultimately, discussions of ontological existence through social media.

The forum will be held in person at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, with the sessions broadcast live on the Center’s social media accounts. Simultaneous translation will be provided in both Arabic and English throughout.​

Programme Agenda attached​