One of the biggest considerations when you are looking to start a business overseas is the political and economic situation in the country that you are looking to set up in. This is one of the reasons that the Gulf States are such a popular option. They are much more stable both politically and economically than most of their neighbors.
The economic situation in the Gulf is currently very strong. The area has of course benefitted from the very high price of oil as this is by far its most important commodity. That being said the Gulf States rely on oil less than other countries in the region. This is in large part because they have made a conscious effort to prepare for what will happen after the oil is gone. While it would not be accurate to call their economies diversified they are a lot closer than the other countries in the region.
One of the benefits of the effort to diversify the economy is that it does not go on the wild swings that other countries in the area experience when the price of oil changes. Certainly there is an impact but it is nowhere near the same as you would find in other oil producing countries. This stability is good for business as has allowed for the companies doing business in the region to continue to operate at full capacity even when the price of oil has gone down.
One of the other reasons that the Gulf has remained relatively stable economically is that it has also remained stable politically. While none of the countries in the area are democracies they are more free than most of the other Arab countries. This is largely the result of decisions that have been made by the rulers of the Gulf States. By the standards of the West they would not be considered free countries but by the standards of the region they are very free. Since the Emirs who run the countries have remained dedicated to growing their countries economically it is likely that they will stay the course for years to come.
Another reason for the stability in the region is that the Gulf States are all very close allies to the United States and several European countries. This has helped economically as severally of the countries have free trade agreements with the United States. It has also helped in terms of stability since the United States provides security for the Gulf States. The result is that the countries of the Gulf are some of the most stable and economically advanced that you will find anywhere in the Arab world. This is one of the reasons that they are such a popular destination for companies looking to do business in the Middle East.