Driving Operational Excellence in the 2026 GCC

Israel responded with alarm to both the U.S. decision to raise sanctions on Syria and President Trump's meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa. Prime Minister Netanyahu supposedly asked President Trump not to lift Syria sanctions in advance of Trump's trip to the area. Moreover, considering that the fall of the Assad routine in December 2024, Israel has been wary of the former jihadist now in control in Damascus.

It has also released soldiers in southern Syria, occupying an increasing location beyond the demilitarized zone separating the two countries. Going forward, Israel will remain careful of the Sharaa federal government and will likely continue to use military pressure on Syria, consisting of a broadened profession of southern Syria and occasional air campaign.

Israel's openness to the Trump administration's efforts to broker a nonaggression pact between Israel and Syria stays an open concern. Instead, Syria might end up being a locus of local power competition between Israel and Turkey as both seek to exert their impact over Syria's trajectory. Since the fall of Assad in December 2024, Saudi Arabia has lobbied hard for the United States to lift Syria sanctions, mentioning them as a crucial obstacle to the nation's restoration.

For MBS, the U.S. decision stood as a crucial success emerging from Trump's journey. Going forward, Saudi Arabia will likely encourage the United States to continue along its path towards normalization with Syria.

How to Optimize GCC Business Planning

, with no tip of a shift in policy. Going forward, Netanyahu can be anticipated to continue along the same trajectory in Gaza, especially because a remarkable shift in U.S.

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On the contrary, as the international outcry global Israel's actions in Gaza grows and with an increasing number of U.S. allies moving to declare a Palestinian state, Israel is likely to entrench its position further, even more by the prospect of possibility U.S. ongoing.

Riyadh right away turned down Trump's proposal and repeated its refusal to stabilize relations with Israel in the absence of significant development towards the development of a Palestinian state. The kingdom has also strongly slammed Israel for the absence of sufficient help streaming into Gaza. Following the August 22 scarcity statement, Saudi Arabia, while not calling out the United States, faulted the Israeli occupation as the cause of the "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza.

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Its leading function in pressing for a two-state solution at the 80th UN General Assembly stands as its most prominent effort in this regard. The kingdom will likely continue its behind-the-scenes lobbying of the United States to press Israel to relent on these demands, holding out on any development towards normalization with Israel in the absence of motion on these concerns.

Corporate Agility in the Evolving Middle East Landscape

Its engagement in the Middle East is shaping the contours of the emerging regional orderwhether by default or design. Particularly, its choices on Iran, Syria, and Gaza all touch on core challenges in the area and hold the potential to move each in a favorable direction. Yet, danger and deepening conflict stand on the other side of each opportunity.

As global trade patterns straighten, a brand-new investment passage is taking shape, connecting capital from the Gulf to Latin America. Sovereign wealth funds, conglomerates, and family offices from the Gulf Cooperation Council ("") are investing billions across Latin America's energy, farming, fintech, and facilities sectors. Trade between Mexico and GCC states rose more than 33% between 2021 and 2022, while non-oil trade with the UAE has actually almost folded the past decade.

3 Company belief shows this momentum64% of Latin American executives prepare to expand engagement with the Gulf, particularly in agriculture, eco-friendly energy, and digital services. 4 Underscoring this momentum, Saudi Arabia just recently opened its first Chamber of Commerce workplace in Miami, further signifying the growing links in between Gulf capital and the Americas.