WIREDGOV

EXPERT COMMENT

The recent dispute between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over Yemen is a stark reminder that the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) each have their own foreign policy approaches and interests, despite often being lumped together.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE tend to be more assertive, Bahrain and Kuwait less so, with Qatar and Oman in between. Since the Arab Uprisings, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Doha in particular have attempted to claim a more central role in shaping the regional order.

The returns have been mixed. There have been some successes: the slow but steady return of Lebanon and Syria to the Arab fold, normalization with Iran and Turkey, and the recognition of Palestinian statehood by several key western countries following an international push in which Riyadh in particular played a key role.

But both Israel and Iran launched attacks at targets within the Gulf in Qatar last year. Gaza is in ruins, the conflicts in Yemen and Sudan are unresolved and the regional order remains fragile. Within this dangerous context, sporadic disputes between Gulf states have flared up as they assert their own interests. 

To pursue their national objectives effectively and cement the Gulf’s regional leadership, the Gulf states need to enhance their statecraft. While the Saudi-UAE disagreement over Yemen is an alarming development, it has also provided a curious opening for a promising new approach to conflict resolution.

This approach centers on Gulf states transparently sharing their interests and worldviews, ideally by publishing national security strategies and institutionalizing their foreign policies and wider statecraft. This would strengthen bilateral conflict resolution between Gulf states, which has historically proven more effective than relying on the GCC. 

Click here to continue reading the full version of this Expert Comment on the Chatham House website.