The GCC and the Role of External PowersOrder Description****** write the same structure ********* You should really try to draw up a plan, with a *research question*, *hypothesis*, *indication of theoretical framework* and *case studies*. explore the GCC and the role played by external powers, but you need to read and formulate a rough plan, most importantly a **research question**. DONT FORGET THE THEORY PLEASE !
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Introduction / BackgroundThe Gulf Countries Council (GCC) was established in 1981by six Arab countries; Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. These countries have been internationally important since they formed the passageway to the Indian Sub-continent and South East Asia for the colonial powers that were aspiring to control Eurasia.
The main purpose of the organization is to achieve unity among its members taking into consideration their common objectives and their similar political and cultural identities. This is also stated in Article 4 in the GCC charter, which declares that the alliance was formed to strengthen relations among its member countries and to promote cooperation among the countries citizens. The GCC has a Supreme Council which meets on an annual basis and each country is represented by its head of state. Decisions on foreign policies issues go through long slow consultative process. This is because these decisions are generally controlled by the extended ruling families before being made by heads of states.
The objective of this dissertation is to use analytical approach to investigate the main objectives of the common foreign policy. This dissertation will also explain the background of the conflict in the Middle East in general and the cupidity of the external powers in the GCC states. Moreover, it will examine the role played by these powers in the GCC states to support stability or instability as well in accordance with their own interests.Statement of the problemThere are few studies discussing the role of the external powers in the GCC states. This role is increasing rapidly looking forward to controlling and securing oil springs and transportation routes of this oil. There is a serious conflict between these powers towards the supreme on these states. This brings a strong need to examine the limits of the relation between the external powers represented by the world powers, the Asian powers and the regional powers on the one hand and the GCC states on the other. It will also discuss the cupidity of these powers in the area specially the Iranian case. The dissertation will go through the effects of the nuclear agreement between the world powers and Iran on the GCC states. The relation with Iran as a regional power will have a particular emphasis since it represents the most dangerous and direct threat for the GCC states through its continuous intervention policy. Finally, the dissertation will seek the GCC peoples opinions about their countries foreign policies in general and the future of the relation with Iran in particular.Hypothesis and Research QuestionsThis dissertation will investigate the following questions:
1. What are the limits that control the relation between the external powers and the GCC states?
2. What is the main cupidity of the external powers in the GCC states?
3. To what extent does Iran, as a regional power, threaten the stability and security of the GCC states?
4. What is the effect of the nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 countries on the security and stability of the GCC states?
5. What is the requested GCC strategy towards the external powers in general and towards its neighbor, Iran in particular to prevent future external inventions?Literature ReviewThe Asiatic Mediterranean, just as Nicholas Spykman (1944) foresaw in his book The Geography of the Peace more than seventy years ago, has become a geopolitical battleground between China, the United States, Japan, and lesser regional powers. The gulf area is a unique geo-political phenomenon. It consists of avital part of the Rimland, Spykeman (1944).
Not only the region formed a vital passageway to the Indian sub-continent and Southeast Asia, but it also became exceptionally important following the discovery of oil during the interwar period and during the Cold War.
The current weight of the GCC in the global energy market gives it a strategic importance and a political influence on the region. The main powers jostle to secure the routes for oil transportation, especially the Strait of Hormuz which has a great importance.
Some scholars argue that the GCC states encounter challenges that cannot be overcome without external involvement, while it is important to remember that five of the six GCC states have experienced colonial rule until as late as the late 1960s and 1970s, making the member states sensitive to external meddling.MethodologyThe dissertation will follow two ways to find out answers for the research questions. First, a questionnaire will be carried out to consider the GCC peoples attitudes towards the current relations with the external powers including the neighboring country, Iran. The participants will consist of ordinary people, politicians, journalists and writers in the field of politics distributed relatively among the six GCC states taking the population number in each country into consideration. The questionnaire will be sent to them through their e-mails. Also, some interviews with a 10% random sample of these participants will be made to examine their opinions in depth about the same issues. These interviews will be made personally in Bahrain, while they will be made through Skype in the other five states.ImplicationsThe research on the relation between the GCC states and the external powers is of great value. The results of this research will be helpful in understanding the natural relations among countries on the one hand, and the external interventions that spoil these relations on the other. The results will shed light on the cupidity of some external powers in the GCC states with emphasis on the Iranian role in the region. Finally, the research will go through the best strategic policies that should be adopted by these states to encounter any cupidity which threatens their security and stability.
Bibliography
1- Alasfoor, Reyadh, The Gulf Cooperation Council: Its Nature and Achievements.Department of Political Studies, Lunds University: Lund, 20072- Nicholas John Spykman, Helen R. Nicholl, The Geography of Peace Yale University, 1944
3- Balamir Coskun, Bezen, The GCC?s Soft Security Agenda & the EU?s Role in
Confidence and Security Building in the Persian Gulf: Problems
and Prospects. European University Institute, 20074- Bauer, Michael., Hanelt, Chistian and Koch, Christian, The EU-GCC Partnership:Security and Policy Challenges. Gulf Research Center, 2010.5- J. B. Kelly International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs 1944-)Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jan., 1957), pp. 51-70 The Persian Claim to Bahrain