We are thrilled to announce the first in our new series of lunchtime talks: “GCC Economies and Changing Geopolitics: Connectivity through Sustainability at Sohar Port and Free Zone“. Dr. Abdullah Al-Abri and Dr. Dawud Al-Ansari will discuss the geopolitical shifts happening in the Gulf with reference to the Omani port. The lecture will take place online on Thursday, 13 November at 14:00 CET.
Abstract
The past decade has seen the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) undergo major shifts – not only in economic policymaking, but also in how the region is perceived globally. A more geopolitically and economically assertive Gulf seeks to build connectivity and develop new sectors – responding to demographic change, but also asserting its position in an increasingly competitive environment. At the same time, rival connectivity initiatives from both East and West are attempting to integrate GCC economies into evolving trade corridors, each with distinct implications.
Key players in these developments include free zones and trade hubs, such as Oman’s Sohar Port and Free Zone. As part of broader repositioning efforts and national net-zero strategies, sustainability is becoming a core lens – both to drive port development and to redefine connectivity. Trade in clean energy and sustainable goods, from hydrogen to green steel, is already opening new partnerships – particularly with East Asia, but also Europe. Whether these partnerships will evolve into something broader – beyond traditional geopolitics and commercial ties – remains an open and timely question.
De:link//Re:link members and interested researchers can register here.
Upcoming talks
The De:link//Re:link Brown Bag Talks concentrate on a specific areas of research, both from guests and associated researchers, thus offering a platform for synergies under the umbrella of the project’s own research orientation. In general, each talk will consist of a short input of around 15 to 20 minutes, based on a text distributed prior to the meeting. The events are planned in a hybrid format.
13 November 2025
GCC Economies and Changing Geopolitics:
Connectivity through Sustainability at Sohar Port and Free Zone
Dr. Abdullah Al-Abri
Dr. Dawud Al-Ansari
Chair: Sabine Dorpmüller (AGYA)
15 January 2026
Navigating the Field in Afghanistan Post-2021:
Epistemological Reflections on Infrastructure (re)Construction and Development Efforts
Katja Mielke (bicc)
Chair: Conrad Schetter (bicc)
Four years after the regime change in 2021, Afghanistan is a highly politicized and uncertain research environment. Taking the De:Link//Re:Link research interest in the effects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as point of departure, the talk will focus on two aspects related to Afghanistan: a summary of recent research insights regarding the viability of China’s engagement in the country and an invitation to reflect about knowledge production in highly politicized and uncertain research contexts.
12 March 2026
Title tbc
Valentin Krüsmann (ZOiS)
Chair: Julia Langbein (ZOiS)
21 May 2026
Reform, Opening Up, Going Out:
Africa-China Engagement from the 1990s to the Present
Jamie Monson (Michigan State University)
This talk will focus on a book chapter Jamie Monson is currently writing. The chapter will use experiences and stories from everyday life to illustrate the local, regional and global context of China-Africa engagement from the 1980s to the present. African states and the PRC implemented economic reforms in the context of globalization in the 1980s, becoming more fully integrated into the global trade and production system. As China developed into the world’s new manufacturing center, goods “made in China” quickly took over African markets. Chinese traders were attracted to do business in many African countries, while the Chinese government invested heavily in African infrastructure projects. These activities of “Chinese in Africa” were welcomed at the same time that they were contested. Meanwhile, African entrepreneurs and students traveled to China to pursue new opportunities and as a result multiple and diverse African communities have now become established in China.
15 July 2026
Gwadar, Imperial Outpost since 1862:
A Survey of Archives and Sources
Hasan H. Karrar (LUMS)