Prasanta Kumar Pradhan

Yemeni crisis has been a challenge for Saudi Arabia’s standing and reputation as the leader of the Arab and the Islamic world. It is caught between the resilience of the Houthis to sustain their fight, and the growing cost of war and the allegations of innocents being victims of their air strikes.

• Published: September 13, 2021
• IDSA Comments

Israel and UAE have laid a strong foundation for their relationship by signing the Abraham Accords. While both are prioritising economic cooperation and exploring opportunities in other key sectors, how they build convergences over complex regional issues remains to be seen.

• Published: July 12, 2021
• IDSA Comments

The talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia mediated by Iraq may help in the de-escalation of regional tensions.

• Published: May 25, 2021
• IDSA Comments

Even as the Al-Ula summit has set a positive tone for the restoration of unity in the GCC, a high level of commitment is required by all parties to bridge the trust deficit.

• Published: January 12, 2021
• IDSA Comments

Driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic challenges for India emanating from the Gulf region are highly imminent and discernible.

• Published: May 13, 2020
• IDSA Comments

As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the key priorities for the GCC countries are to contain the spread of the pandemic, maintain the flow of trade across their borders and preserve their economies from adverse impacts.

• Published: April 16, 2020
• IDSA Comments

Visiting ‘brother’ Pakistan and ‘friend’ India at a time when tensions are running high both in West Asia and South Asia, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman walked the India-Pakistan tightrope with extreme caution.

• Published: February 25, 2019
• IDSA Comments

Facing huge political and security challenges in the Arabian Peninsula, Saudi Arabia now looks westward to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden coast for a new regional security arrangement.

• Published: January 15, 2019
• IDSA Comments

While the political process is delicately poised and is making slow progress, there remain gigantic challenges to surmount. The main issues of contention among the different groups are sharing of political power, fight for control over Libya’s huge petroleum resources, and accommodating the armed groups loyal to different factions into a unified national military force.

• Published: July-December 2018
• Africa Trends

In June 2017, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar. They accused Qatar of supporting extremist and terror groups in the region, having close ties with Iran, undermining the security and stability of the Gulf region, and using the satellite television network Al Jazeera as a propaganda machine. They also put up a list of demands before Qatar, to be accepted within 10 days in order to end the boycott.

• Published: July 2018
• Strategic Analysis