The Gulf States and the Arab Uprisings The Gulf States and the Arab Uprisings The Gulf States and the Arab Uprisings (original) (raw)
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The Gulf Region Beyond the Arab Spring. What Implications for the EU
The Gulf region has become an increasingly important international actor but many questions about the six monarchies of the Gulf Cooperation Council remain unanswered. In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, different domestic and international dynamics are at play and the changes in the geopolitics of the Middle East have transformed the regional policies of the states of the Gulf countries. This chapter of the E-book titled "The Gulf Monarchies Beyond the Arab Spring. Changes and Challenges" draws some conclusions about recent domestic, regional and international developments in the Gulf countries and their implications for the EU and the EU-GCC relationship.
The Arab Spring: the Changing Dynamics of West-GCC Cooperation
The Uneasy Balance. Potential and Challenges of the West's Relations with the Gulf States, edited by Riccardo Alcaro and Andrea Dessì, IAI Research Papers No. 8, April 2013.
Thanks to strong intergovernmental contacts, trading interests and the personalised relationships that have characterised Gulf-West alliances, shared priorities concerning regional security and stability have survived a number of setbacks and disappointments over more than fifty years. Furthermore, so far, the EU-US-GCC relationship has survived the testing times of the Arab uprisings. The greater involvement of Gulf actors in the application of their own strategies and priorities across the MENA region may, in practice, highlight increasing divergences in the real national and regional interests of states on both sides of the West-GCC divide. In the longer term, questions remain over whether the foundations of this relationship can survive the challenges of global and regional changes. This chapter is extracted from The Uneasy Balance. Potential and Challenges of the West's Relations with the Gulf States, edited by Riccardo Alcaro and Andrea Dessì, IAI Research Papers No. 8, April 2013. - See more at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/191727#sthash.4pinQifR.dpuf
The Arab Gulf States and Reform in the Middle East
2014
1. Introduction PART I: CONFLICT AND COOPERATION IN THE GULF 2. The Changing Dynamic of American-GCC Relations 3. The Gulf Cooperation Council: from cooperation to unity? 4. Defense cooperation in the GCC Part II: THE GULF STATES AND IRAN 5. Saudi Arabia 6. Kuwait 7. Qatar 8. The United Arab Emirates 9. Bahrain 10. Oman 11. The other 'Gulf' state: Yemen Part III: STABILITY AND THE 'ARAB SPRING' Part IV: IS THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY MY FRIEND? ISRAEL AND THE GULF STATES 12. Conclusion: The Rising Gulf Appendix: Major Events in the history of the Gulf states
The GCC in the Mediterranean in Light of the Arab Spring
Mediterranean Papers, German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), 2012
The turmoil sweeping across the Arab world and the ensuing transition processes have been a crucial test for Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Oman. Confronted with external as well as internal outbursts of disaffection, they have responded in a mixed way by combining patronage, outright repression, and outreach to the protesters. It is important to focus on the external role of the Gulf countries in North Africa by answering two questions: to what extent does the economic cooperation between the Gulf and North Africa represent an instrument of political penetration and influence and what are its effects on the transitions? Does it help or impinge on the chances of genuine reform in the countries undergoing these transitions aimed at solving the problems that triggered the Arab uprisings two years ago, e.g., lack of accountable, transparent, and inclusive institutions as well as unsustainable socio-economic policies? The four authors of this paper — coming from different geographical backgrounds and disciplines — attempted to address the aforementioned questions and to offer policy recommendations. The result is a comprehensive and multi-faceted assessment of the growing engagement of the GCC countries with the North African region and its potential impact. While offering different perspectives, the four papers contribute to highlighting a number of common points from which some policy-oriented proposals can be drawn.
Strategic Studies Institute: The Gulf Moment: Arab Relations Since 2011
This monograph examines the impact that the “Arab Spring” has had on how Arab states relate to each other post-regime change and post-Islamist electoral victory. It shows that the region is undergoing a profound change as some traditional regional policy actors are paralyzed by internal turmoil (such as Syria and Egypt), while others do not have a regional ambition (such as Algeria and Morocco). The region has therefore entered a Gulf moment where key decisions pertaining to the region’s future are now taken in Riyadh, Doha, and Abu Dhabi. From having once been mere bystanders of regional politics, the Gulf States have moved to become players with both the ambition and capability to shape regional dynamics. As the ripple effects of their 2014 rift show, these dynamics will have a wider Arab impact.
This research paper attempts to assess European responses to the Arab uprisings and, in particular, the introduced change in the EU policy towards its Southern Neighborhood. In specific terms, to what extent do security and strategic considerations still constitute the basis in the EU’s “fundamental revision” of its policy in the Southern Neighborhood? And to what extent is the need to safeguard security and strategic interests undermining an authentic EU role in building deep democracy in the region? The presented analyses provide a profound scrutiny and assessment of the new version of the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), an empirical evidence of persisting security considerations post-2011 in Euro-Arab relations, and a more elaborated vision of future Euro-Arab relations, attempting to balance between three considerations: security, democracy, and governance. The paper argues that the EU response to revolutionary events in the Arab region has been weak and that the new version of the ENP results hollow. Wide disagreements among European capitals on how to react to Arab uprisings, the sudden influx of illegal migrants and refugees, increased energy concerns, and the rise of political Islam, especially in radical forms, appears to be the key reasons behind this weak response. The study advocates that a proactive and agile EU role in the Arab region post-2011 should not be considered as derived from a moral stance. Rather, it is urgently required as it is in Europe’s own interest. The historic events in the Arab region suggest that the EU should not merely revise its own ENP with the Southern Mediterranean. However, it should develop a comprehensive vision and an all-encompassing approach to the entire Arab region, from the West Mediterranean to the Gulf. Finally, this paper provides a number of policy recommendations, attempting to offer a frame for such a vision.