Oil and Gas Disputes in the Middle East:A COVID-19 Era Perspective

The Middle East holds the largest regional shares of oil and gas resources in the world. The region is also one of the world’s most important producers and exporters of oil and gas. It is no surprise then that the oil and gas industries have spearheaded the growth and transformation of Middle Eastern economies for the last few decades.With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, there has been a significant effect on the oil and gas markets globally. Drawing from examples across the region and globally, this article considers the effects of the pandemic on the oil and gas industry, the types of disputes that are likely to arise as a result of the pandemic within these industries, and, finally, the forms of dispute resolution that are favoured by stakeholders in the oil and gas markets and the capabilities in the Middle East to offer these dispute resolution services.