1st Edition

The Gulf Cooperation Council Moderation And Stability In An Interdependent World

By John A. Sandwick Copyright 1987
    289 Pages
    by Routledge

    302 Pages
    by Routledge

    The Gulf Cooperation Council represents both a model of development and unity in the Arab world and a working example of interstate cooperation to other nations. In this volume, contributors describe the rationale for Gulf unity and cooperation and analyze the financial, economic, and legal institutions of the GCC member states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, and Qatar). They focus on the GCC's role in maintaining stability in the Arabian peninsula, an area that is clearly vital to U.S. interests. Contributors pinpoint the essential elements of GCC unity, including its efforts to obtain optimum economic self-sufficiency, to maximize market share and revenue from oil production, and to establish an integrated legal framework. The GCC's unique security needs, given the member states' vast combined area and thinly spread populations, are also discussed. An overview of the strategic interests and policies of both superpowers toward the region reveals a history of decline in their influence and prestige that is a result, it is argued, of misperceptions and misguided policies. Finally, documentation and bibliographic sections enhance the book's usefulness as a handbook on the GCC and the Arabian Gulf states.

    Foreword -- Introduction -- History and Development of the Gulf Cooperation Council: A Brief Overview -- Reflections on Gulf Cooperation, with Focus on Bahrain, Qatar and Oman -- A Historical Perspective of U.S.-GCC Economic and Financial Interdependence -- Economic Integration of the Cooperation Council of the Arab States of the Gulf: Challenges, Achievements and Future Outlook -- Evolution of a GCC Oil Policy -- Impact of the GCC on the Developing Legal Systems of the Gulf Countries -- The Soviet Union and the GCC States: A Search for Openings -- The GCC and Regional Security -- The Gulf Cooperation Council: A Comparative Note -- Documentation

    Biography

    John A. Sandwick, George McGovern