The recent Houthi attacks on the UAE have widened the ambit of the ongoing war in Yemen, and are likely to prolong the instability in and around Yemen and hinder the regional and international efforts towards establishing peace in the country.

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.

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.

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

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.

Traditionally dominated by the trade, energy and Diaspora ties, the India-UAE relationship has been growing substantially in the security arena in recent years. There are deliberate and robust attempts from both sides to forge strong security cooperation. The high volume of trade and commerce, common threat perceptions such as terrorism and piracy, continuing regional instability in West Asia since 2011 are some of the key drivers of the growing India-UAE security cooperation. Recent high-level visits have provided the much needed confidence to both sides to engage in the security domain.

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

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.

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.