Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have defied years of energy market turbulence, wars over narratives and the Covid-19 pandemic to emerge as new hubs of stability—not just in the region but also in the increasingly competitive multipolar world order. Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Riyadh are finding their place on the fault line between east and west as well as Global North and South. Importantly, they are doing so while setting aside their ideological and socio-political ambitions.

Gulf Arab states are also attempting to remake the region in their own image, prioritizing prosperity, stability, and development. More broadly, a steep financial learning curve over the past two decades coupled with an innovative approach to network-centric statecraft have positioned Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE as...