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Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

Baker Institute Fellow for Kuwait, Rice University
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Ph.D., is the Baker Institute fellow for Kuwait. Working across the disciplines of political science, international relations and international political economy, his research examines the changing position of Persian Gulf states in the global order, as well as the emergence of longer-term, nonmilitary challenges to regional security. Previously, he worked as senior Gulf analyst at the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies and as co-director of the Kuwait Programme on Development, Governance and Globalisation in the Gulf States at the London School of Economics (LSE). He is a visiting fellow at the LSE Middle East Centre and an associate fellow at Chatham House in the United Kingdom.

Coates Ulrichsen has published extensively on the Gulf. His books include “Insecure Gulf: the End of Certainty and the Transition to the Post-Oil Era” (Columbia University Press, 2011) and “The Political Economy of Arab Gulf States” (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2012). In addition, he is the author of “The Logistics and Politics of the British Campaigns in the Middle East, 1914-22” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and “The First World War in the Middle East” (Oxford University Press, forthcoming). He is currently completing a book on Qatar and the Arab Spring and has been commissioned to write a textbook on the Gulf and international political economy. Coates Ulrichsen’s articles have appeared several academic journals, and he consults regularly on Gulf issues for Oxford Analytica and the Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Centre. He also writes regularly for Open Democracy and Foreign Policy, and authors a monthly column for Gulf Business News and Analysis.

Coates Ulrichsen holds a doctorate in history from the University of Cambridge.

Global Geopolitics Series

Oman serves as a crucial back channel between Iran and the US as tensions flare in the Middle East

Apr 19, 2024 06:26 am UTC| Insights & Views

Prior to launching a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel on April 13, 2024, Iran reportedly got word to Washington that its response to an earlier strike on its embassy compound in Syria would seek to avoid major...

Global Geopolitics Series

Saudi plans to 'de-risk' region has taken a hit with Gaza violence − but hitting pause on normalization with Israel will buy kingdom time

Oct 19, 2023 04:16 am UTC| Insights & Views

Saudi Arabia and Israel had seemingly been edging closer to a landmark deal to normalize their diplomatic relations and then the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, happened. Since then, thousands have died in Gaza and in...

Global Geopolitics Series

As longterm partnership with US fades, Saudi Arabia seeks to diversify its diplomacy – and recent deals with China, Iran and Russia fit this strategy

Mar 28, 2023 14:21 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The fact that Saudi Arabia entered a rapprochement deal with Iran and chose China to broker it came as a surprise to many international observers. The agreement, officially called the Joint Trilateral Statement, was...

Economy

Gold Price Holds Above $4,130 as Fed Rate Outlook and Middle East Tensions Support Safe-Haven Demand

Gold prices remained resilient on Thursday, staying above the $4,130-an-ounce mark as investors continued buying on recent dips despite rising oil prices and growing expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve could keep...

Asian Stocks Rally on AI Spending Optimism as Middle East Tensions Push Oil to Six-Week High

Asian stock markets advanced on Thursday as strong artificial intelligence (AI) investment plans from major U.S. technology companies boosted confidence in the regions semiconductor sector, while escalating conflict in the...

Australia Jobs Surge in June Strengthens Case for More RBA Rate Hikes

Australias labor market posted a stronger-than-expected performance in June, reinforcing expectations that the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) could raise interest rates again to curb persistent inflation. Data released by...

Oil Prices Rise as Houthi Attacks on Saudi Tankers Heighten Middle East Supply Fears

Oil prices extended their rally for a fifth consecutive session during Asian trading on Thursday as renewed geopolitical tensions in the Middle East fueled concerns over potential disruptions to global crude supplies. The...

South Korea Q2 GDP Beats Forecasts as AI Chip Exports Drive Growth

South Koreas economy expanded faster than expected in the second quarter of 2026, supported by resilient semiconductor exports as global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies continued to boost the countrys...

Politics

Arizona Primaries Set High-Stakes Governor and House Battles Ahead of Midterm Elections

Arizonas Republican primary delivered major victories for candidates backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, setting up closely watched contests for governor and a key U.S. House seat in the November 3 midterm elections....

Amish Shah Wins Arizona Democratic Primary in Key U.S. House Race

Moderate Democrat Amish Shah has won the Democratic primary for Arizonas 1st Congressional District, according to media projections, setting up a closely watched general election contest that could play a significant role...

Trump Administration Opens Civil Rights Probes Into Five U.S. Medical Schools Over Admissions

The U.S. Department of Education has launched civil rights investigations into five medical schools over alleged racial discrimination in admissions, expanding President Donald Trumps campaign against diversity, equity,...

ASEAN Forum Puts Middle East Conflict, South China Sea Tensions in Spotlight

Top diplomats from Asia, Europe, and North America gathered in Manila on Thursday for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), with the escalating Middle East conflict and South China Sea tensions expected to dominate discussions....

Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has directed American diplomats to push back against claims that the United States has a kill switch capable of shutting off access to U.S. technology products, according to a State...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Intel, AMD Seek Long-Term China Server CPU Deals as AI Demand Drives Supply Crunch

Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) are negotiating long-term purchase agreements with Chinese server customers as demand for data center processors continues to outpace supply, according to people familiar with the...

Alphabet Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates as AI Spending, Google Cloud Growth Fuel Outlook

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter 2026 results, driven by rapid growth in Google Cloud and continued investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Despite beating Wall Street...

Elon Musk Fuels SpaceX-Tesla Merger Speculation After Earnings Call

The possibility of a merger between Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and SpaceX gained fresh attention after Teslas second-quarter earnings call, with Deepwater Managements Gene Munster increasing the odds of a deal taking place in...

IBM Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates as Software Growth Offsets Infrastructure Weakness

International Business Machines (NYSE: IBM) reported second-quarter 2026 earnings that missed Wall Street expectations, although its shares gained about 3% after the company had already warned investors about weaker...

OpenAI Australia Data Center Switches Cooling Strategy After Recycled Water Plan Fails

OpenAIs planned mega data center in Australia will rely on a more energy-intensive cooling system after developers abandoned plans to use recycled water, according to a Reuters report published Thursday. The change comes...