The Gulf Split: Why the GCC May Be Breaking Up

Imad K. Harb

Security, Middle East

Dismantling the GCC would be a short-sighted and ill-advised decision given current conditions in the Arabian Peninsula.

With its confusing vital signs, it is hard to judge the condition of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) after its latest failed meeting in Kuwait City. Only two full-fledged rulers, Kuwait’s Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attended it.

The leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain refrained from attending and sent lower ranking officials. They have severed diplomatic relations with Qatar since June 5 because of allegations that Doha is funding terrorism and has relations with Iran.

Oman, as usual, sent a royal representative of Sultan Qaboos bin Said who, for health reasons, has not attended similar and other seances for about a decade.

If a meeting’s success is determined at least partly by the level of official representation, then the GCC’s thirty-eighth summit failed to satisfy a basic requirement.

Sheikh Sabah is also said to have quickly wrapped up the summit’s only session after fifteen minutes of what can be imagined to have been a tense closed-door get-together. This came after an earlier inconclusive meeting of GCC foreign ministers, who customarily iron out issues before the leaders’ final communique.

It further looked as if the communique had been pre-written to emphasize everyone’s desire for continuing collective action in the interest of GCC peoples.

As host of the summit and mediator in the GCC crisis pitting Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain against Qatar, Sheikh Sabah was in a very difficult position. His abrupt ending of the meeting was most likely meant to accomplish two important missions: preserve a modicum of unity within the GCC and salvage Kuwait’s reputation as host.

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