As the US takes the unprecedented step of negotiating directly with Hamas, Salman Shaikh says President Donald Trump is now impatient with both sides in the Gaza conflict. There are many moving parts at the moment, he says. “We either go towards more war, or to what Trump wants, which is a deal, which starts with, and crucially includes, the release of all hostages.”

In two articles, TSG's CEO discusses the "highly adaptive and pragmatic" nature of Saudi diplomacy, and the transition in Syria. For the latter, it's less a question of timing, he says, more about how a transition can be carried out in such a complex society.

On 7 and 8 December 2024, TSG held two high-level meetings on the sideline of the Doha Forum in Qatar, one focusing on Israel-Palestine, and the other on Gulf Maritime Security. TSG brought together international and Arab experts and officials to discuss recent and current developments, and explored pathways to peace and stability in the region going forward.

Interviewed by Al Jazeera, Salman Shaikh elaborates on what is needed to take the country through a potentially "very dangerous period".

Lebanon ceasefire: international funding and political support will be crucial, says TSG CEO Salman Shaikh quoted in AP report published in the Washington Post, Asharq Al-Awsat, MSN, and many other news outlets around the world.

As part of its initiative for food security and cooperation in the Gulf region, TSG convened a meeting between members of the private sector in Dubai and stakeholders from Iran in April 2024. TSG also cooperated with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) at the Future Food Forum in Dubai in October 2024, bringing together businesspeople from the UAE, Iran, Egypt, and India, to discuss food security and opportunities for greater collaboration.

As new talks take place in Doha, Salman Shaikh discusses the prospects for peace in an interview with Al Jazeera’s Inside Story. watch video…

In May 2024, TSG collaborated with Qatar Economic Forum, hosting a public panel for the second consecutive year at this high-level event organised by Bloomberg. The panel discussed the security dynamics in the Middle East with a particular focus on the Gaza war, food security, and the impact on international economic ties.

The Financial Times reports on the back-channel talks the Shaikh Group convened in Geneva in July and October 2023. read full article …

Salman Shaikh says US President Joe Biden has badly misjudged Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, and that he and his government are a “runaway train” who are driving...watch video

Salman Shaikh speaks to Jeune Afrique about inclusive peacebuilding and The Shaikh Group’s new PeaceTech Initiative at the 2019 Paris Peace Forum

Salman Shaikh speaks at the 2019 TRT World Forum on the current geopolitical context and resultant challenges to multilateral cooperation.

TRT World's correspondent Simon McGregor-Wood talks to Salman Shaikh about how the new world order is impacting peace-building process in the Middle East.

Salman Shaikh speaks about Idlib and Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance.

Empower Syrians to determine their future. A new Constitution writing process could be part of that.

As President Trump prepares to meet Russia's President Putin, the founder of The Shaikh Group discusses his work trying to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria.

As the Syrian conflict enters its 5th year, thousands of Syrians have left their homes as refugee...

A U.N. envoy managed to keep the Syrian opposition in Geneva after the group announced it would pause its participation in peace talks.

It was never going to be easy to work out a truce in Syria. And the latest escalation of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia is likely to spill over into the Syria talks.

The U.S. has pledged financial and other non-lethal support for rebel factions now engaged in a two-year long civil war with Syria's Bashar al-Assad regime ...

How can stakeholders secure Syria's future political, economic and social viability vis-à-vis developments on the ground?

Salman Shaikh, Director of the Brookings Doha Center and a Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, is a prominent voice on conflict resolution issues ...