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I cut my teeth as a Middle East scholar in places such as Damascus, Syria; Ramallah in the West Bank; Ankara, Turkey; Istanbul, and Cairo. They are cities with rich histories or great political influence or both. The Persian Gulf states were always an afterthought, better left to odd-duck Europeans who spent their time studying the lineages of various tribes and clans throughout the Arabian Peninsula. To me, that kind of work was even worse than watching cricket.

But in the past decade, I have found myself in the Gulf more frequently than I had ever imagined. Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer ancient Cairo to antiseptic and over-air-conditioned Doha, Qatar. But the Gulf states—particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar—have become more interesting than ever. That is because, to different degrees, they are engaged in wide-ranging efforts to remake their economies and societies.

I cut my teeth as a Middle East scholar in places such as Damascus, Syria; Ramallah in the West Bank; Ankara, Turkey; Istanbul, and Cairo. They are cities with rich histories or great political influence or both. The Persian Gulf states were always an afterthought, better left to odd-duck Europeans who spent their time studying the lineages of various tribes and clans throughout the Arabian Peninsula. To me, that kind of work was even worse than watching cricket.

But in the past decade, I have found myself in the Gulf more frequently than I had ever imagined. Don’t get me wrong, I still prefer ancient Cairo to antiseptic and over-air-conditioned Doha, Qatar. But the Gulf states—particularly Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar—have become more interesting than ever. That is because, to different degrees, they are engaged in wide-ranging efforts to remake their economies and societies.

As U.S. President Donald Trump highlighted during his visit to the region last May, it is fair to say that there is a Gulf model of development. Yet the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has raised serious questions about that model. If the early signs from the diplomatic maneuvering indicate........

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