Will The Gulf Survive, And How? (S01E50)

Wednesday, April 15, 2026, IstanbulAfter weeks of spewing venom at Iran through various surrogates, United Arab Emirates deputy prime minister Mansour bin Zayed picked up the phone Wednesday and rang up Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran’s speaker of the parliament and a major power broker in Tehran. During the call, the two “discussed regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions in the region.”This followed the weeks-long war that pitted the US and Israel against Islamic Republic but drew in the Gulf states, which came under fire from Iran. The call showed that despite the animosity Iran and Gulf Cooperation Council states are neighbors that know they must learn to live next to each other.On tonight’s France 24, I joined a distinguished panel of experts thats included speakers in Qatar and Oman. We discussed the future of the Gulf states and their strategies for survival, including my recent piece about how the UAE is causing immense troubles behind the scenes.Please listen or watch.badlands is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit borzou.substack.com/subscribe