La pandemia de la COVID-19 y su impacto en las monarquías del golfo Pérsico

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting all regions of the world, although with a dissimilar intensity depending on the area. The six Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman) are also suffered by the exceptional health crisis. The dimension of the problem seems to be having a different scope in each of the States, but all of them face a period of high uncertainty. The Persian Gulf is a space of vital geostrategic importance for international dynamics; the evolution of the pandemic is having a direct impact on the oil and natural gas markets, a key sector for the whole of local regimes. The paper analyses the evolution of the COVID-19 in the region, the differences and similarities in the policies implemented by the different authorities, and the most relevant consequences in the political, social, and economic spheres.