Communitarian norms and regional security: The GCC as a security community

Mona Farag, Zayed University

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Arab World Geographer

Publication Date

3-1-2017

Abstract

© 2017 Geo Publishing, Toronto Canada. The Arabian Peninsula, unique in geopolitical importance thanks to its oil fields and sea routes, is constituted from states that share cultural traits, tribal structures, and loyalties. These states have been connected by economic, foreign policy, and geostrategic concerns, thus forming an Arabian Gulf identity. Numerous common denominators among these countries have assisted them in forming their own coalition, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The purported foreign-policy pivot of the United States towards Asia has led to concerns in many GCC countries about a defence breach within the region, which could be taken advantage of by the GCC's rivals. Given the substantial purchases of military weapons in the region over the past few years, what are the possibilities of building a functional security community within the GCC? This article analyzes whether the common Khaleeji identity is enough to unite the GCC countries and enable a form of communitarian system to function, whether efficiently or otherwise. It also examines the GCC's challenges and scenarios that could lay the groundwork for a possible GCC regional defence arrangement, with the support of its common identity and norms.

ISSN

1480-6800

Publisher

University of Akron

Volume

20

Issue

1

First Page

1

Last Page

16

Disciplines

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Keywords

Communitarian norms, GCC, Gulf, Khaleeji identity, Security

Scopus ID

85041422510

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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