Shifting Sands: Threat Perceptions and Security Among Gulf Cooperation Council Member States

Khalid Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi

Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 2025, vol. 27, issue 6, 905-926

Abstract: This paper explores the impact of divergent threat perceptions on the effectiveness of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as a regional organization. Through a hybrid constructivist and realist framework, the study examines how GCC member states perceive threats from Iran and Israel while handling the Yemen conflict and the 2017 Gulf Crisis. The analysis reveals that these differing perceptions, rooted in historical, ideological, and geopolitical factors, have led to inconsistent policies and internal discord within the GCC, undermining its collective security objectives. The paper also discusses the implications of recent geopolitical developments, such as the Abraham Accords and shifting (United States) U.S. foreign policy, on the GCC’s cohesion and relevance. Ultimately, the study contributes to the scholarly discourse by offering new insights into the complexities of GCC cooperation and the broader challenges of maintaining stability in an increasingly polarized Middle East.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/19448953.2025.2481810 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:cjsbxx:v:27:y:2025:i:6:p:905-926

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/cjsb20

DOI: 10.1080/19448953.2025.2481810

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies is currently edited by Professor Vassilis Fouskas

More articles in Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().