On 27 September 2023, Araa Magazine published NESA Center Professor Dr. Gawdat Bahgat's latest Op-Ed (in Arabic) for its October issue. The article, titled "Saudi Arabia plans to encourage the localization of American weapons and the manufacture of advanced weapons on its soil," focuses on the U.S.-GCC partnership and the industrial sector in GCC countries.

"...the dominant position of the U.S. currency (the dollar) as a major global currency, as well as the influence that the United States enjoys within many international financial institutions, and its overwhelming soft power, especially in the field of education and scientific research, are all factors that indicate that the economic partnership between the United States and the GCC countries will remain strong and is certain to see deeper growth over the coming decades. Such a development would serve the economic and political interests of both sides, and even the entire world," writes Professor Bahgat.

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About the Author

Dr. Gawdat Bahgat is a Professor of National Security Affairs at the National Defense University’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. He is an Egyptian-born specialist in Middle Eastern policy, particularly Egypt, Iran, and the Gulf region. His areas of expertise include energy security, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, Arab-Israeli conflict, North Africa, and American foreign policy in the Middle East.

About the Publisher

Araa Magazine is a monthly periodical that focuses on the affairs of the Gulf region, providing in-depth analysis in Arabic on current affairs in Gulf security, politics, economics, environment, energy, and social issues, in addition to the challenges that the region is facing in these areas.

The views presented in this article are those of the speaker or author and do not necessarily represent the views of DoD or its components.