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December 17, 2009
What about the GCC itself?
Christian Koch
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Editor's Note:
This week leaders from the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council met in Kuwait for the organization's 30th Summit. Dr. Joseph Kechichian, in a Gulf News op-ed today, called the summit "yet another search for security and stability, both of which hang by a bare thread." He noted that the "oft-repeated 'one Gulf, one destiny, one nation' slogan sounds good, but everyone knows that there are several Gulfs, fates and nations in the area, whose interests coincide as much as they diverge." He added, "To assume that member-states are on the same wavelength would be optimistic, and it remains to be determined whether those attending the summit will manage to implement palpable new decisions."
As we review the results of the Summit we are reminded of a thoughtful essay by Dr. Christian Koch of the Gulf Research Center published by Khaleej Times on the eve of the summit which sounded concerns about the effectiveness of the Council similar to those addressed by Dr. Kechichian. Koch questioned the record of accomplishments noting results did not match the "lofty statements about common challenges, mutual traust and good neighborliness." He noted that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, during the 2006 summit acknowledged that more needed to be done by the group, "What has been achieved so far is still far below the expectations of our people." Koch calls for the Council to undertake an assessment to define the way forward with a "bolder and more concrete strategic vision."
Today we provide for your consideration Dr. Koch's essay, "What about the GCC itself?" and thank him for permission to share his perspectives with you.
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What about the GCC itself?
Regional security concerns predominate but the focus should be on developing the GCC
Christian Koch
Director of International Studies
Gulf Research Center
On December 14, 2009, the leaders of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will gather for their annual summit meeting this time hosted by Kuwait. While the leaders will gather with much fanfare and press attention will be significant, much of the outcome of the meeting is predetermined. In fact, the final communiqué will almost certainly include references to the need for Iran to abide by its international commitments regarding its nuclear program and criticism of the failure of Israel to effectively engage in the peace process; it will almost certainly voice support for the fight against terrorism, as well as stress the right of Saudi Arabia to protect its border with Yemen and to take action against possible al-Houthi incursions there. In fact on all internal and regional issues, there exists a basic agreement among the GCC member states about the nature of the challenges being faced. This, in turn, allows the organization to display a common and united front.
What will be missing, however, is a clear agenda and agreement about the steps needed to face those challenges and resolve them. And this points to a fundamental problem. For what is certainly going to be missing from the summit communiqué is a focus on the internal development of the GCC as an organization and how institutional mechanisms can be implemented which ensure that the GCC is a responsive multilateral body ready to contribute effectively to conflict resolution and management in its immediate neighborhood.
After nearly 30 years of existence, the GCC has in fact failed to develop institutionally. Ever since its establishment in 1981, there have been numerous lofty statements about common challenges, the need for mutual trust, and good neighborliness. But this stands in contrast to the actual progress being achieved on the economic, political as well as security fronts. To be sure, important decisions have been made with regard to the implementation of a GCC customs union, a common market, a common currency, a Gulf Defense Pact, and an agreement on counter-terrorism cooperation, just to name the most important announcements. There has also been a greater frequency of meetings and exchanges of views among GCC ministers at all levels in recent years, thus allowing for greater convergence of ideas and generally more common positions.
Yet, it cannot be claimed that announcements have been followed by effective implementation. The customs union still does not function properly after seven years, how the Gulf Defense Pact is to be operationalized remains a big question, a planned counter-terrorism center has failed to receive the necessary backing, the GCC common currency currently only includes four members and even here it is not clear when the Gulf dinar is to come about, and political relations are conducted in personal ways rather than on a more permanent institutional level.
If one were thus to draw a balance sheet concerning the accomplishments of the GCC, the outcome of the assessment would be meager at best. While things look good on paper and appear to be moving in the right direction, implementation at all levels has lagged considerably behind the stated intentions of GCC leaders. Overall, GCC decisions continue to be defined by quantity more than quality. This was acknowledged by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia during the 2006 summit meeting when he stated that: "What has been achieved so far is still far below the expectations of our people."
More importantly, what appears to have been lost in the last two decades is the sense of purpose and spirit of the early 1980s that brought the Arab Gulf countries together. When the GCC was formed, it was not only a reaction to the regional turmoil that engulfed the region at the time which included the Iranian Revolution, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in September 1980. In fact, a process had been in motion prior to these events that had resulted in such achievements as the Gulf Ports Union, the Gulf Organization of Industrial Consultancy (GOIC) and the Gulf Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, among others. In essence, there existed a growing realization that joint action was the way forward and there was a broad spirit among all leaders to promote greater Gulf unity. That spirit, however, is now missing.
All of this should provide some pause for thought. More than holding annual summit meetings that follow a pre-determined agenda, it would be much more important to undertake a serious assessment of the GCC as an institution and define more clearly the forward path for cooperation. What is required is a bolder and more concrete strategic vision that outlines the steps necessary to achieve truly effective integration and allows the GCC as an organization to gain more power and relevance. For the moment, it is simply not very clear what value is being added by the GCC.
Curiously, there appears to be an opposite process in place with regard to the GCC when compared to that of the European Union. In the GCC states, the population firmly supports the further move towards closer cooperation while the leadership has so far refrained from carrying these aspirations forward. In the EU, the political will for integration exists but it often finds its obstacle in popular opinion. Given these circumstances, it would appear as even more imperative that GCC leaders take a time-out and assess the real progress and development that has been achieved and map out the way forward so that the GCC in the near future begins to reflects the needs of its people.
Naturally, one needs to be realistic and understand that the move towards integration is a process that needs to be organic and homegrown. Nothing can be imposed. Yet, it would make sense to convene an intergovernmental conference that discusses the ways and means to strengthen the GCC Secretariat, increase its capacity and make its functioning more effective. Such an intergovernmental conference should be convened prior to the 30th anniversary of the GCC in 2011. Further, as part of the process of self-evaluation, it might be worthwhile to consider forming a working group of GCC intellectuals that can undertake an independent review with the objective of making concrete policy recommendations. Such a review will likely acknowledge that the numerous security challenges that the annual GCC summit now concerns itself with not only make closer cooperation among its members more urgent than ever but also would be more amenable to a resolution if there is a common and united GCC policy in place. As a result, the sooner the process of a review is started, the better.
(Originally published in Khaleej Times, December 13, 2009)
Reprinted with permission of the author.
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 About Dr. Christian Koch:
Dr. Christian Koch is the Director of International Studies at the Gulf Research Center located in Dubai,
UAE. Prior to his appointment, he worked as Head of the Strategic Studies Section at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, Abu Dhabi. Dr. Koch received his Ph.D. from the University of
Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany with a thesis on the role of voluntary association in the political development of Kuwait. He also studied at the American University in Washington, D.C. and the University of South Carolina. Dr. Koch has published on various issues related to Middle East political development and Gulf strategic issues and is a regular contributor to regional newspapers and media. He is the editor of Unfulfilled Potential: Exploring the
GCC-EU Relationship (Dubai: Gulf Research Center, 2004) and of the Gulf Yearbook (2005 to 2008 Edition) as well as co-editor of Gulf Security in the Twenty-First Century (Abu Dhabi:
ECSSR, 1997) and A Window of Opportunity: Europe, Gulf Security and the Aftermath of the Iraq War (Dubai: Gulf Research Center, 2005). He has contributed numerous chapters to edited volumes including Elections in Asia: A Data Handbook (Oxford University Press, 2001); Der
Irak: Ein Land zwischen Krieg und Frieden (Palmyra, 2003) und Der Islam in der Gegenwart
(München: C.H. Beck, 5. Auflage, 2006). Dr. Koch also serves as a contributor to Jane’s Sentinel Publications on Gulf issues. He is a member of the advisory board of the German Orient Foundation since January 2007.
About the Gulf Research Center:
The Gulf Research Center (GRC) is an independent research institute located in Dubai , United Arab Emirates
(UAE). The GRC was founded in July 2000 by Mr. Abdulaziz Sager, a Saudi businessman, who realized that in a world of rapid political, social and economic change, it is important to pursue politically neutral and academically sound research about the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and disseminate the knowledge obtained as widely as possible. The GRC seeks to provide a better understanding of the challenges and prospects of the GCC countries.
187 Oud Metha Tower,
11th Floor, 303 Sheikh Rashid Road,
P.O.Box : 80758, Dubai. UAE.
Tel. No : +971-4-324 7770
Fax. No : +971-4-324 7771
Email: info@grc.ae
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