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November 7, 2026

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 18: Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a dinner in the East Room at the White House on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting the Crown Prince for meetings aimed at strengthening economic and defense ties, including the U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

Gulf’s $3 trillion US investment drive faces post-midterm Trump reckoning

A sweeping midterm election victory by Democrats on Nov. 3 is cause for concern among Gulf states that eagerly embraced Trump's White House and pledged huge investment commitments.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar becomes largest buyer of LNG from US amid Hormuz disruption

QatarEnergy has agreed to purchase up to 7 million metric tons per year of US LNG through long-term contracts signed this month.

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha, on June 22, 2026.

Qatar locks in US LNG through 2054 as it looks beyond Hormuz

The Gulf state agreed to buy up to 4 million tons of US liquefied natural gas annually through 2054.

Latest News

Turkey says Qatar Eurofighter jet deal still on track despite Iran war

A German Air Force Eurofighter jet is seen during the NATO Media Day at Lielvarde Air Base in Lielvarde, Latvia, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Qatar PM in Beirut as Lebanon seeks economic relief: What to know

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sues Netanyahu for nearly $1M over Oct. 7 claims

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R) and Security Agency director Ronen Bar, attend a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Reve Chaaban

In Doha reporting on culture

Qatar's Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani smiles during his arrival for an economic ties visit at Khartoum Airport December 4, 2011. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah (SUDAN - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS BUSINESS) - RTR2UTVY

Israel, Hamas Watching Change of Leaders in Qatar

Israel closely follows the change of leadership in Qatar, and the impact of the change on the Arab Peace Initiative.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (R) stands next to his son Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani before the Emir Cup final match between Al-Sadd and Al-Rayyan at Khalifa stadium in Doha May 18, 2013. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: SPORT SOCCER ROYALS POLITICS) - RTXZRXO

Qatar, Middle East 'Market Maker'

Qatar is modeling its foreign policy on a dream to become the Belgium of a Muslim Brotherhood league of states.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Paris, May 27, 2013. REUTERS/Jim Young (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX103D0

The Missing Syrian Peace

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are still working on the invitation list for Geneva II.

A Lebanese army soldier is seen atop his tank as an ambulance travels past in Tripoli May 20, 2013. Three people have been killed and about 40 wounded in two days of fighting in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, security sources said on Monday, as sectarian violence spilled over from the civil war in Syria. REUTERS/Omar Ibrahim (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTXZTWK

Syria's Struggle Is Now Lebanon's Struggle

Lebanon's political stability and instability have always depended on external key powers; today, the effect of the Syrian crisis, is no different.

Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (R) meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani (C) and Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri at the Royal Palace in Mecca August 13, 2012. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - R

Saudi-Qatar Honeymoon In Lebanon Is Over

Seemingly eager to turn the regional unrest to their advantage, both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are carefully strategizing their diplomatic efforts in the Mideast.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2nd L) inspects a guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at India's presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi April 9, 2012. Sheikh Hamad is on a three-day state visit to India. REUTERS/Stringer (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1E84H05M001 - RTR30ISQ

The Limits of Asia-Gulf Ties

Gulf-Asian economic relations will likely continue to grow while national security considerations are ignored.

Egyptian Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi addresses Muslims at Al-Azhar mosque during the weekly Friday prayer in Cairo on December 28, 2012. People demonstrated outside the Al-Azhar mosque in support of the Syrian people and against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. AFP PHOTO/MAHMUD HAMS (Photo credit should read MAHMUD HAMS/AFP/Getty Images)

The Extent and Limits Of Qatar-Hamas Ties

Qatar and Hamas ties fluctuate between strategy and tactics.

Syrians wait to cross back into Syria at the Turkish Cilvegozu border, opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in Reyhanli, Hatay province, May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLW2

No 'Good Guys' Or 'Bad Guys' in Syria

Saudi Arabia and Qatar need to support a diplomatic outcome in Syria.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (front R) and Qatar's Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al-Thani arrive at a meeting of the Arab Peace Initiative Committee in Doha April 8, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXYDPI

Fatah Would Accept Land Swaps With Israel

Despite the fiery reaction from some Palestinian circles, the concept of land swaps with Israel has long been accepted by the Palestinian Authority.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani as they meet with members of the Arab League at Blair House in Washington, April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZ41W

The Two Faces of Qatar

Shlomi Eldar considers Qatar's promoting peace based on compromises between Israel and the Palestinians while promoting a sectarian Islamic agenda by supporting armed groups in Syria.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani (C) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal attend a ceremony in Doha, on February 6, 2012. Abbas will head an interim national consensus government under a deal signed in Qatar between Abbas and Meshaal , ending a long-running disagreement that had stalled Palestinian reconciliation.
AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Hamas Ties to Qatar Have Cost

Hamas seeks to maintain its independence but has faced challenges since pivoting from Syria and Iran to Qatar, writes Adnan Abu Amer.

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh (R) and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani arrive at a cornerstone laying ceremony for Hamad, a new residential neighbourhood in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 23, 2012. The Emir of Qatar embraced the Hamas leadership of Gaza on Tuesday with an official visit breaking the isolation of the militant Palestinian Islamist movement, to the dismay of Israel and rival, Western-backed Palestinian leaders in the West Bank. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (G

Qatar’s Political Influence on Hamas

With its headquarters in Qatar, Hamas will have to accept the spirit and direction of its new patron, Emir Hamed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, writes Shlomi Eldar.