The Middle East in the Foreign Policies of the Gulf States

An exciting aspect of this process is the fact that the Gulf countries have been divided into two different, mostly competing camps in terms of foreign policy choice. While Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain are acting together in their policies towards the Middle East, Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman have been following diverging policies.

The Arabian Peninsula consists of seven countries, the majority of which have rich oil and natural gas resources. Among these countries, six of them are the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), an organization that was established in 1981. The GCC countries, consisting of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and Bahrain, have become the most important actors of Middle East politics in recent years.

The modern Saudi state was founded in 1932, and its capital is Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, and Islam is the dominant and official religion in Saudi Arabia. Thus, religious tourism is vital for Saudi Arabia’s economy. The country has the biggest economy in the GCC. The current ruler of Saudi Arabia is King Salman

Saudi Arabia Capital is Riyadh.

In a historical trajectory in the 18th and 19th centuries, political agreements between tribal leaders and religious leaders (the ulema) brought about the rise of Mohammed ibn Saud, the ruler of Diriye province and the religious leader Mohammed ibn Abd al Wahhab. With the agreement sealed again in the third kingdom in the 20th century, the influence of Wahhabism, followers of Mohammed ibn Abd al Wahhab’s religious teachings, came to be integrated with the political settlement of modern Saudi Arabia.

In the current period of post-2010s, Saudi Arabian foreign policy has dramatically been shaped by the Arab revolutions.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) shares a border with Saudi Arabia and Oman. It gained its independence from the United Kingdom (UK) in 1971, and its capital is Abu Dhabi. Unlike other Gulf countries, the UAE is a federation of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, Ras Al-Khaimah, and Fujairah. Each emirate is governed by a ruler, but Abu Dhabi and Dubai are the two dominant emirates.

In the early 1970s, primary foreign policy objectives for the UAE came down to recognition by the other countries in the region and the maintenance of the federation as a functioning body.

The UAE hosts some 8 million expatriates who reside in the country for employment purposes. The Emirati population is around 2 million, which makes about %11 of the total population of the country.

Doha

With the formal British protection came to a close in 1971 and the consolidation of the al-Tani reign, Qatar began to transform into an independent state that no longer relies on outdated pearling but the modern industries such as hydrocarbon, construction, and finance.

In the most current times, Qatari foreign policy is facing a blockade crisis launched by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt on the pretense of so-called Qatari funds to terrorist organizations. However, with a strategy of generating the partners, Qatar maintained constructive relations with Turkey, Iran, and the US, minimizing the political and economic burdens of the blockade.

The country is ruled by Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah from the Al-Sabah family.

These vulnerabilities were seriously exposed when Iraq under the tutelage of Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, tempting the First Gulf War in 1990-91.

The intensive presence of Palestinians in Kuwait somewhat shaped Kuwaiti foreign policy, making it tilt toward the Palestinian side in most of the occasions. Although most of the Palestinian people left Kuwait in peril due to misery unleashed by the First Gulf War, Kuwaiti and Palestinian ties were consolidated again, particularly after 2015, and Kuwait is one of the most prominent supporters of the Palestinian cause in the Gulf.

It gained its independence from the Portuguese in 1650, and its capital is Muscat. Unlike other Gulf countries, Oman has never been ruled directly by the UK or another country.

In 1970, a new chapter in Oman was opened with a bloodless coup d’etat in the palace. Qaboos bin Said seized power and overthrew his father, terminating his long reign. Qaboos bin Said ruled over Oman for 49 years, beginning in 1970 until he died in 2019.

Along with the personality and the supreme authority of Sultan Qaboos, there were certain aspects shaping Omani foreign policy behavior. Having been located between the two powerhouses in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, required Oman to be heedful of wholly aligning its foreign policy behavior with only one side. The possibility of Omani location and foreign policy to be instrumentalized in either Saudi Arabian or Iranian foreign policy brought about distrust and reservations in Oman. Tat necessitated Oman to seek constructive and strategic relations with Britain and the US.

Unlike other Gulf countries, Bahrain does not share borders with any country.

With its expansionist policy and ideology of Pan-Arab nationalism, Iraq posed a devastating threat to Bahrain in the early years of independence.