Gulf Cooperation Council - Essay Example

of the Gulf Cooperation Council Gulf Cooperation Council was started in 1981 by the leaders of the state of Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia (Rashid, 21). The purpose of the council was to promote and enhance close ties among the member states and by formulating strategies to ensure that non-GCC countries would not intimidate its members or attack them. As a result, the council engages in integration courses including peace campaigns in its member’s countries (23).

The council intentions are more visible in its political activities including the diplomatic campaign to reduce tension between Oman and Yemen and to a whole range of efforts and initiatives to bring peace in Qatar, Yemen, Iraq, Iran as well as Oman. The council also helps in protection of the fundamental freedom of the citizens of its member states and stresses on the importance of GCC countries to take all the necessary measures to protect the citizens from their states. The GCC purpose towards Yemen is mainly on its deep concern for the Yemen situation and its continued condemns of the violence experienced in Yemen (Rashid 45).

The GCC stresses on the importance to stop the conflicts and it assists in strengthening consultation and coordination between the Yemen government and the fighting groups. The council has an initiative whose aim is to encourage the concerned groups to reach a political settlement of the ongoing issues in Yemen (67). The council has mobilized its member states to deploy their armed forces to assist in the Yemen government in fighting Huthies. In an effort to bring peace in Yemen, GCC aided the country to remove President Ali Abdullah out of power and in 2012, the country held parliamentary elections (70).

The GCC also assists Oman in its cooperation with other members regarding security, economically, as well as politically (Rashid 90). The GCC member states have taken steps to give financial support to the treasuries of the Oman and Bahrain, which are less economically members. However, the council has been having some disagreements over Oman relation with its other member states over the claim of supporting jihadists. Regarding this, the councils have summoned Oman over the allegations, and insisted that the country must obey the council’s principles as required by all its members (Rashid 112).

In 2014, the GCC faced diplomat fights from major member states including UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia over Qatar in its involvement of supporting Muslim Brotherhood, a related terrorist group. The countries threatened to withdraw their relation with Qatar for failing to commit to its promises of GCC principles of not interfering with other member states internal affairs, and not to support any group or individuals risking stability and security of the citizens (Rashid 117). As a result, GGC delegation met with the intention of enhancing the relationship between the three member states and Qatar.

The three nations agreed to return their ambassadors to Qatar, on condition that Qatar would stop interfering with security, interests, and stability of members’ states. Also, Qatar was to stop criticism of GCC member states through Qatari media (120). The scenario is also a clear indication of the GCC intentions towards its member states that includes finding a common way to solve any challenges while maintaining full coordination and integration among the member states. In any event, the Saudi-Qatari rift indicates a new area of the GCC member states whose main objective is to promote regional peace and stability.

Regardless of the challenges arising from its internal rivalries and divisions, the GCC has managed to fulfill most of its intentions to the member states. Thus, the council remains an important, influential growing regional player that challenges the continuing socio-political developments in the Gulf region. Works Cited Rashid, A. The Gulf Cooperation Council: A Study in Integration. (2015). 21—140.