Gulf-funded think tank to make Capitol Hill debut

A new think tank funded entirely by UAE and Saudi sources makes its Capitol Hill debut Oct. 6 with a Senate hearing on the crisis in Yemen.

The Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington (AGSIW) bills itself as an independent institution dedicated to covering the “social, economic, and political diversity of the Arab Gulf states.” Its executive vice president, former Ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche, is slated to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Seche appears to have been selected mainly for his expertise as America’s man in Sanaa in 2007-10 and later as deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. Middle East policy watchers in Washington, however, are expected to also pay close attention to the tone set by the institution in its maiden appearance before Congress amid growing concerns that the Gulf petro-states may be buying influence at some of the nation’s leading policy research institutes.

“Organizations in Washington, DC, cover the Arab Gulf states on a sporadic, often crisis-driven basis, usually in the context of the energy sector, terrorism or conflict with Iran,” the Arab Gulf States Institute explains on its website. “AGSIW plans to fill the gaps and provide sustained, in-depth analysis on the social, cultural, economic, and political profiles of the countries of the GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] and issues of concern to the region and the United States.”