“The Gulf countries have several respectable universities. However, these institutions generally lack area studies departments, meaning that the foreign ministries do not have a pool of dedicated experts whom they can tap as and when necessary.”
-Omar Al-Ubaydli in Al-Arabiya points to Oxford University and Harvard University as models for Gulf universities because they, “understand the impossibility of precisely anticipating society’s problems, and consequently maintain a high level of knowledge in a diverse range of issues.” [Al-Arabiya]
