The GCC from the hegemony of one to the balance of power to all

Abstract

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was founded by six monarchies to protect the small members from regional threats, namely Iran and Iraq. However, the failure of the GCC to stop the Kuwaiti invasion questioned the organisation's deterrence. Thus, the bandwagoning of the smaller members to Saudi Arabia began to be questioned as Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait reinforced their alliances with external powers both militarily and economically. The UAE challenged Riyadh in the monetary union while Muscat refused to be fully integrated. The Gulf crisis between Qatar and the other three member states could be seen to maintain the old Saudi-dominated status quo. However, the resolution of the dispute, without any solid compromises of Qatar, is a sign of the intra-GCC balance of power. This research argues that the security approach of GCC has turned from bandwagoning to Saudi Arabia into an intra-GCC balance of power. Unlike the general pessimism about the GCC, this study argues that the organisation serves as a diplomatic bridge between the Gulf monarchies and have the potential for further cooperation in economic, technological, environmental, and educational areas. The need for a regional umbrella was reinforced with the Covid-19, in which nation-states were unable to fight individually.