WHILE the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council was formed in 1981 to present a picture of unity amongst the sheikhdoms of the Arabian Peninsula, that image suffered a severe jolt in June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut all ties with fellow GCC member Qatar. The apparent reason for the move was Qatar’s alleged support for ‘terrorism’; behind this allegation was a long, complicated story that pointed to other factors. While fellow GCC members Kuwait and Oman — as well as the Americans — had tried to resolve the dispute, it appeared as if the Saudis and Emiratis were not willing to budge. However, now, thanks to a renewed American effort, it seems there is some forward movement. Kuwaiti officials say a “final agreement” is in sight to resolve the imbroglio while the Saudi foreign minister has also said all parties concerned are “on board”. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East emissary Jared Kushner was recently in the region and is believed to have pushed for a resolution to the intra-GCC dispute.

It remains to be seen if the underlying issues that sparked the disagreement have actually been addressed. As reported, the Saudis and Emiratis were furious with Qatar because they believed Doha was too soft on Iran, while they also accused Qatar of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood. Indeed, Doha has taken a less confrontational and more pragmatic approach towards Iran, while its support for the Muslim Brotherhood is not hidden. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, despise the Brotherhood for ideological reasons. Moreover, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were not too happy with Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera, particularly its Arabic wing, for its reporting. But the Americans, who have major military bases in nearly all Gulf sheikhdoms, are interested in ending an embarrassing public spat between states in the region. It is hoped that the dispute is resolved soon for the interests of regional harmony, and not to strengthen a front against any particular state, such as Iran.

Published in Dawn, December 7th, 2020