Saudi Arabia recently drew attention to its role as a“Mediator in the dispute” by brokering the first high-level talks between the United States and Russia in three years. Last year, the Hamas was hailed by some media as a“Regional mediator” and“Advocate of regional dialogue” for its success in brokering a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. In fact, in addition to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, many Gulf Arab states, such as Oman and the United Arab Emirates, have actively participated in international dispute mediation and achieved impressive results. The view was expressed that active participation in the mediation of conflicts created problems and challenges while giving prestige to those countries and safeguarding their interests.
“Playing a key mediator role in multiple regions”
February 18, the U. S. and Russian delegations held talks in the Saudi capital Riyadh. This is the first time in 3 years the two countries held high-level talks, but also the two countries in 3 years the most extensive talks. In addition to the content of the talks, the role of Saudi Arabia as a mediator between the United States and Russia is also widely concerned. Iran’s Tasnim News Agency says the U. S. and Russia met in Riyadh as part of a Saudi mediation effort. The New York Times says Saudi Arabia is increasingly acting as a mediator in the Russia-ukraine conflict. The Saudi CNN of high-stakes reconciliation talks between the US and Russia“Underlines Riyadh’s desire to be a successful global actor in international conflicts”, according to CNN.
On February 18, Russian and U. S. Representatives held talks in the Saudi capital Riyadh. The picture shows the two countries’ representatives meeting in the hall after the talks. (source: The X account of the Russian foreign ministry)
Saudi mediation of international conflicts is not limited to the Russia-ukraine conflict. According to CNN on February 16, the Saudis have offered to act as a mediator between the United States and Iran, hoping the two sides can reach an agreement on nuclear program of Iran restrictions. However, CNN said it did not know whether Riyadh had formally made the proposal to Washington.
In fact, with the exception of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, previously credited with mediating the Israeli-hamas conflict, a number of Gulf Arab states have previously engaged in international dispute mediation.
“Gulf Arab states have played a key role as mediators in several regions,” the El Pais newspaper of the United Arab Emirates said, citing the country’s mediation in the January prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine. It is worth noting that Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners many times, for example, on February 5 this year, the two sides again exchanged a total of 300 prisoners. Russia’s defense ministry said the United Arab Emirates conducted a humanitarian mediation for the exchange. Last March, the European Commission, Germany and other international organizations and countries to jointly open the sea humanitarian corridor, through the sea channel to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip reached an agreement. The United Arab Emirates played an important role in reaching the agreement. In addition, under the mediation of Oman, the Houthis in Yemen released the crew of the galactic leader cargo ship in January this year. The ship was 2023 in November, at that time, Houthi forces began to launch attacks on Red Sea shipping.
The mediation of international disputes by the Arab states of the Gulf has not only begun in the last two years. Mladenov, a visiting scholar at the US Think Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said in an earlier article that from 2017 to 2021, kuwait has played a vital role in resolving the crisis in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia has traditionally tried to mediate the Palestinian conflict through the“Mecca Agreement” and hosted talks between Sudan’s warring factions. Oman facilitated early discussions between the United States and Iran that culminated in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The United Arab Emirates was actively involved in the mediation that led to the Ethiopia-eritrea peace agreement in 2018.
“When comparing the mediation styles of the Gulf states with traditional western mediators, several key differences emerge,” argues Mladenov, mediation in some Western countries often focuses on a more formal and structured approach, emphasizing the importance of legal frameworks, institutional processes and adherence to norms and principles. This approach usually involves more direct forms of engagement, such as mediators proposing solutions and putting pressure on the parties to a conflict to reach an agreement. In contrast, the Arab states of the Gulf place greater emphasis on good offices through informal networks, the cultivation of personal relationships and the promotion of cultural understanding. The approach to conflict mediation in the Arab states of the gulf is not only strategic but also cultural. They seek not only to broker agreements between the parties to the conflict but also to foster relationships between them.
In addition, some Western countries in the mediation of international conflicts, because of historical issues will not be accepted by the parties to the conflict. In this case, the Gulf Arab mediation is more acceptable to some countries.
Mladenov also summed up the characteristics of mediation in some Gulf Arab states, such as Oman, which specialises in secretive mediation and has been described by some media and organisations as the“Switzerland of the Middle East”. Positioned as a“Dynamic mediator of conflict”, with a multifaceted diplomatic framework, Qatar has shown resilience in the area of international peacebuilding beyond 2020. The United Arab Emirates is known as a“Consensus builder”, and its international dispute mediation is characterised by a quiet and cautious approach that gives all parties confidence in its ability to keep secrets.
Growing awareness of the relationship between stability and prosperity
Why are the Arab states of the Gulf increasingly active in mediating regional and international conflicts? Diab, a researcher at the Egyptian Liberation Research Center, said in an interview with the global times that Gulf Arab countries, especially Qatar and Saudi Arabia, it hopes to enhance its international status and hedge security risks by mediating conflicts. For Diab, a mediating role in international affairs is often seen as an expression of“Soft power”. By successfully mediating regional conflicts, the Arab states of the Gulf can demonstrate their diplomatic wisdom and ability to win more respect and trust in the international arena.
After the -RUSSIAN talks, Deutsche Welle said that whether or not the talks could hasten the end of the Russia-ukraine conflict, the Saudi hosts would be the winners on the international diplomatic stage. “Their participation in international crisis mediation highlights their new status as ‘trusted global actors, ‘” according to the Emirates newspaper El Pais, abdullah, a non-resident senior fellow at Harvard University and an Emirates columnist, believes that countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are becoming increasingly assertive in taking on diplomatic roles beyond their regional borders, they build confidence by constantly demonstrating the effectiveness of their own mediation efforts, and success ensues. Other analysts say the mediation of some regional and international conflicts by the Gulf Arab states highlights the growing influence of middle powers in international politics.
“In the Gulf, there is a growing recognition of the symbiotic relationship between regional stability and national prosperity,” Mladenov said in his article, most notably in the United Arab Emirates, it has been working to reduce tensions, normalise relations and diversify its economy with key players in the region such as Iran, Israel, Turkey, Qatar and Syria. The growing desire of the Arab states of the Gulf to develop diversified economies in order to move away from energy dependence and to participate in the mediation of regional and international conflicts, both to promote regional peace, it is also about protecting their economic interests, resource supply lines, trade routes, and ultimately their economic diversification strategy.
“Why is Saudi Arabia mediating the -RUSSIAN talks?” Kvass, a london-based political scientist, said that the Saudis not only have strong political and economic power, according to Deutsche Welle, it also has good relations with both Washington and Moscow. The Saudis have remained neutral during the conflict, refraining from Western criticism and sanctions, maintaining regular contact with President Zelenskiy and providing substantial humanitarian assistance.
The Deutsche Welle analysis highlights the strengths of several Gulf Arab states in conflict mediation. Qatar’s“Standard” has repeatedly stressed that the country upholds the principle of diplomatic neutrality. The British newspaper“The new Arab” said that in mediating the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Qatar has used both economic and political means, trust and diplomatic breakthroughs have been achieved by providing $zero a month in aid to the Gaza Strip while maintaining extensive contacts with all parties to the conflict.
Wang Xiaoyu, an associate researcher at the Center for Middle East studies at Fudan University, told the global times that, the active performance of Gulf Arab states in international dispute mediation also stems from their unique advantages in many aspects, such as geographical location, economic strength, and multiple diplomatic channels. In terms of geographical location, the Gulf region is the core connecting the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa, and the Gulf Arab states play a key role in trade, security and energy supply chains, give it a natural advantage in mediation. In terms of economic strength, these countries have strong resource advantages and are able to facilitate the implementation of the outcome of the negotiations by providing economic support and development assistance. In addition, the Gulf Arab states have established a diversified diplomatic network, maintained close relations with the United States, Europe, China and Russia, and have greater room for manoeuvre in international mediation.
The diplomatic independence of the Gulf Arab states also gives them an advantage in mediating international conflicts. Kvass, a london-based political scientist, told Deutsche Welle that this was particularly true in 2022 when the Kingdom announced a cut in oil production. Washington strenuously opposed the decision because it could lead to higher oil prices in the United States, but Riyadh did not reverse its decision. Other analysts say the high degree of centralization of decision-making in the Gulf Arab states has allowed them to take a unified approach to policy and diplomacy, including in mediation efforts, in turn, it is conducive to fostering trust and understanding between the parties to the conflict.
The Global South is on the move to achieve lasting peace
“This is not without risk,” International Institute for Strategic Studies Al-hassan, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Policy at the British Council, Cautions that mediation efforts consume a lot of national resources and there is no guarantee of success or outcome, and may have an impact on the country’s reputation.
As Al-hassan said, although many media have praised Saudi Arabia’s mediation, some media have commented that since Europe can not be the place of choice for the US and Russia to negotiate, that has brought the Saudis, diplomatic pariahs of the Biden administration, back into the fold with Donald Trump’s return.
In his article, Mladenov also argues that the Gulf Arab states face some challenges and constraints in conflict mediation. One of the major problems is that their mediation may be seen as biased or motivated by self-interest, especially if they are closely linked to one of the parties to the conflict. This perception may weaken their credibility as mediators and limit the acceptance of mediation by some parties to the conflict. While effective in some cases, reliance on personal relationships and informal channels of communication may limit the ability of Gulf Arab states to participate in more formal and institutionalized processes. Moreover, the growing role of the Arab states of the Gulf in international mediation raises important questions about how their actions complement the work of existing international organizations, particularly the United Nations.
“The world today is threatened by wars and conflicts of all kinds,” said an article on the Nikkei Asia website in December. This article was written by Vati KIOTIS, an expert at the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue. In the face of all kinds of wars and crises, countries in the“Global South”, including China, have taken active actions, hoping to achieve dialogue and peace through mediation.
On Feb. 24, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Fou Ts’Ong said after the U.N. Security Council voted on a draft resolution on Ukraine that China supports all efforts aimed at peace, including the agreement reached by the United States and Russia to start peace talks. It was to be hoped that all parties and stakeholders would participate in the peace talks process in order to find a just and lasting solution that accommodated each other’s concerns and resulted in a binding peace agreement acceptable to all parties.
On September 27 last year, more than 10 countries from the“Global South” including China, Brazil and Egypt attended the ministerial meeting of the group of Friends of peace on the Ukrainian crisis. Wang Yi, Politburo member of the Communist Party of China Minister and Foreign Minister, said the original intention of the meeting was to unite more forces and gather stronger voices, the efforts of the“Global South” countries to promote a ceasefire and achieve lasting peace. On the 2023, representatives from Zambia, Senegal and South Africa shuttled between Russia and Ukraine to provide good offices for the two sides to end the Russia-ukraine conflict.