Green Industry, Geopolitics, and the Gulf's Economic Future

The 2026 war on Iran is reshaping the political economy behind the Gulf's push to diversify away from hydrocarbons. The conflict has disrupted revenues, infrastructure, trade routes, and investment flows across the region, raising a central question: does the war accelerate the shift toward green industrialization, or reinforce the existing dependence on fossil fuels? This event launches a new Carboun Institute dossier, The War on Iran, Economic Diversification, and Green Industrialization in MENA, supported by Open Society Foundations and drawing on nine contributors. The discussion brings together regional government delegations, think tanks, academics, civil society, and international finance institutions to examine the dossier's findings within the wider political economy of war, public finance, industrial policy, and regional power relations. The conversation will address how green industrialization strategies can hold up under regional conflict, highlight pragmatic steps toward resilient diversification, and build institutional ties ahead of COP31 in Türkiye. Please submit and interest form to attend: carboun.com/our-events/nycw-2026