Las políticas de ciudadanía en los estados del Consejo de Cooperación del Golfo

Abstract

This article explores the legal frameworks of citizenship and naturalization of the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and analyzes how they have been used since the creation of modern states to the present, with special attention to events after the Arab Spring. Within this context, it discusses to what extent the rentier character of the Gulf states has affected the design of policies of citizenship and naturalization; which are the main aspects of the legislation of each country; what are the differences between the use of legal frameworks before and after the Arab Spring; what legal reforms have been carried out since the Arab Spring; and with what objectives has citizenship been granted or revoked. The article concludes that the citizenship policies of the GCC states have been a fundamental aspect of the nation-state building process and the establishment of state-society relations, as well as of a very elaborate strategy to ensure political regime stability, survival and legitimization, especially visible in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.