Essential GCC Business Analysis Insights for 2026

Israel reacted with alarm to both the U.S. decision to raise sanctions on Syria and President Trump's conference with Ahmed al-Sharaa. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly asked President Trump not to lift Syria sanctions in advance of Trump's trip to the region. Because the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel has been cautious of the previous jihadist now in control in Damascus.

It has also released troops in southern Syria, occupying an increasing area beyond the demilitarized zone separating the 2 nations. Going forward, Israel will stay wary of the Sharaa federal government and will likely continue to apply military pressure on Syria, including a broadened occupation of southern Syria and periodic air strikes.

Israel's openness to the Trump administration's efforts to broker a nonaggression pact between Israel and Syria stays an open question. Rather, Syria could become a locus of local power competition in between Israel and Turkey as both seek to exert their influence 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, citing them as an essential barrier to the country's reconstruction.

For MBS, the U.S. decision stood as an important 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.

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, with no tip of a shift in policy. Going forward, Netanyahu can be anticipated to continue along the same trajectory in Gaza, specifically given that a dramatic shift in U.S.

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On the contrary, as the international outcry worldwide Protest's actions in Gaza grows and with an increasing number of U.S. allies moving to declare a State state, Israel is likely to most likely its position further, bolstered by the prospect of continued U.S. ongoing.

Riyadh immediately rejected Trump's proposal and repeated its rejection to normalize relations with Israel in the absence of substantial development toward the development of a Palestinian state. The kingdom has actually also highly slammed Israel for the absence of appropriate aid streaming into Gaza. Following the August 22 starvation declaration, 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 promoting a two-state service 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 pressure Israel to relent on these needs, holding out on any progress towards normalization with Israel in the lack of motion on these issues.

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Its engagement in the Middle East is forming the shapes of the emerging local orderwhether by default or design. Particularly, its choices on Iran, Syria, and Gaza all touch on core difficulties in the region and hold the potential to move each in a positive direction. Danger and deepening dispute stand on the flip side of each opportunity.

As worldwide trade patterns realign, a new investment passage is taking shape, connecting capital from the Gulf to Latin America. Sovereign wealth funds, conglomerates, and family workplaces from the Gulf Cooperation Council ("") are investing billions across Latin America's energy, agriculture, fintech, and facilities sectors. Trade in between Mexico and GCC states rose more than 33% between 2021 and 2022, while non-oil trade with the UAE has almost doubled over the previous years.

3 Organization sentiment shows this momentum64% of Latin American executives plan to expand engagement with the Gulf, specifically in agriculture, eco-friendly energy, and digital services. 4 Highlighting this momentum, Saudi Arabia just recently opened its first Chamber of Commerce office in Miami, additional signaling the growing links between Gulf capital and the Americas.