Beyond the Headlines: GCC summit and Trump's Jerusalem announcement

Laura Mackenzie is joined by Naser Al Wasmi who has been in Kuwait City covering the GCC summit. James Langton meanwhile talks to Stephen Hadley who served as national security adviser in the George W Bush administration about — among other things — the US's expected recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel

This year's GCC summit, which was hosted by Kuwait, closed on December 5, 2017, a day early. Giuseppe Cacace / AFP

This week's GCC summit may have closed a day early but there were some signs that progress had been made on the row between members states the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and Qatar. Though there was by no means a real resolution to the six-month-long dispute reached, the fact that the annual gathering took place at all was seen as a positive step. And, as our reporter Naser Al Wasmi explains from Kuwait City, body language between the officials gathered suggested that tensions may be easing. Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti emir's call for a committee to be formed to look at changing the GCC's statute was a sign that officials are keen to ensure the body's continuing relevance. Read more of our coverage here

Elsewhere in the Middle East, leaders are concerned about Washington's expected recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. James Langton talks to Stephen Hadley, who served as national security adviser to former US president George W Bush, about this, as well as other major issues currently affecting the United States and the Middle East. Read more of our coverage on the US's expected announcement here

Listen to last week's podcast here