Toward a NATO of the Gulf? : the challenges of collective defense within the GCC / Jean-Loup Samaan.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Samaan, Jean-Loup, author.

Contributor:

Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gulf Cooperation Council.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

National security--International cooperation.

National security.

Persian Gulf Region--Strategic aspects.

Persian Gulf Region.

Security, International--Persian Gulf Region--International cooperation.

Security, International.

Persian Gulf Region--Military relations--United States.

United States--Military relations--Persian Gulf Region.

United States.

Strategic aspects of individual places.

Military relations.

International relations.

Military readiness.

Arabian Peninsula.

Middle East.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 45 pages)

Other Title:

Challenges of collective defense within the GCC

Place of Publication:

Carlisle Barracks, PA : Strategic Studies Institute and U.S. Army War College Press, 2017.

Summary:

SUMMARY. Since the Arab revolutions started in early 2011, the Gulf countries have raised the level of their strategic ambitions. In various cases, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) flexed their diplomatic muscles--Qatar and Saudi Arabia being at the forefront on the Syrian file--and demonstrated military resolve--via the interventions in Bahrain (2011), Libya (2011), and Yemen (2015). With traditional Arab powers like Egypt coping with post-revolution internal troubles, Gulf kingdoms seemed now to be the major players in the arena of the Arab League. This shift in Arab geo-politics led observers to refer to this era as the so-called Gulf moment. As a result, the new assertiveness from Gulf countries in the international arena stirred a discussion on the prospects for stronger military cooperation at the level of the GCC itself. For a long time, collective defense was a distant prospect in the Peninsula. The modest size of local armed forces, the traditional reliance on the three major Western powers (the United States, the United Kingdom, and France) and occasional disagreements among Gulf countries concerning their strategic priorities all concurred to postpone progress in the field of joint military cooperation. Additionally, the 2017 political crisis between Qatar and three of the GCC members (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain) obviously reminds us the need for a cautious evaluation of the prospects of collective security in the Gulf. But rather than detailing the numerous caveats that still exist concerning the Gulf regional security system, this monograph puts the alliance politics aside and looks at the security environment and the operational requirements for the GCC. In other words, it aims to discuss the practical steps required to turn the Council into an effective collective defense organization. By no means does this approach dismiss the politics behind the making of the GCC. Only the resolution of local disputes can bring about the needed momentum for regional cooperation, but the political dimension too frequently prevents observers to discuss the concrete feasibility of the project. Against that backdrop, the monograph starts by looking at the GCC as a regional organization. It details its origins, underlines the role played by the security environment in shaping the GCC agenda, and assesses its main achievements so far in the military field. The second part provides a detailed account of the contemporary security challenges that call for enhanced military cooperation: the increasing demands for GCC expeditionary capabilities in light of regional crisis such as Yemen; the maritime security in the Gulf in the context of Iranian assertiveness on the sea; and the ballistic arms race led by the same Iran. Following this appraisal of the contemporary security environment, the document looks at some of the most significant projects within the GCC to enhance its military cooperation: the building of a joint command; the emphasis on joint naval activities; and the making of a regional missile defense coordination structure. It also identifies some of the long-term needs for the national armed forces to fulfill these objectives: the need to strengthen education and training programs in the Peninsula and to foster a multilateral culture among Gulf militaries. Finally, it reflects on the relations with Western allies in that perspective. In particular, it explains how initiatives such as the U.S.-Gulf Strategic Forum and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Istanbul Cooperation Initiative could prove instrumental to support GCC's collective defense project.

Notes:

"September 2017."

Paper version available for sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 38-45).

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (SSI, viewed June 6, 2018).

Other Format:

Print version: Samaan, Jean-Loup. Toward a NATO of the Gulf?

OCLC:

1013539029