Division In The Gulf: Is There Any Way Back For GCC Unity In 2018?

22 Dec 2017 Issue: 60 / 51,52

Battle lines have been drawn in the GCC. Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain are aligned firmly against Qatar, with Kuwait and Oman remaining neutral. A return to pre-June 2017 normality looks unlikely. The dream of GCC unity will wither further in 2018.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) experienced the most tumultuous year in its 36-year history in 2017. The Qatar crisis has hardened divisions within the grouping, that may prove irrevocable. With Saudi Arabia and the UAE establishing an alternative coordinating body, we may be witnessing the beginning of an inexorable slide into irrelevance for the GCC.

That said, the GCC has never acted as a unified entity. Plans for a unified currency or public transportation network have never progressed beyond rhetoric. Even the supposedly-coordinated introduction of VAT is being rolled out piecemeal. All six members agreed to introduce VAT in April, but while Saudi Arabia and the UAE are bringing in VAT from the start of 2018, the other four are nowhere near ready. (CONTINUED - 980 WORDS)