Gulf Security: From zero-sum games to regional cooperation? (original) (raw)

This paper seeks to outline a differentiated picture of the security situation in the Persian-Arab Gulf. It will conceptualize the Gulf as a regional security sub-complex, to use the term coined by Barry Buzan and Ole Waever, and elaborate on the main regional actors, their constitution, the distribution of power between them as well as the region's security culture and practices. Based on these considerations, the paper will propose a set of policy recommendations for the international community. It will argue for a broadening of the Gulf's security agenda in order to create potential for a gradual shift from a zero-sum toward a more cooperative balance of power system.