Qutrat Nada: Coordination Bridges Amidst Wars
Articles and studies highlighting the paralysis afflicting regional organizations, which prevents them from achieving their objectives, have dominated recent discourse. Although these studies differ on which regional organizations are named, they agree on the success and cohesion of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Thus, we recall the idea behind the establishment of the GCC, which dates back to May 25, 1981, when Their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the State of Qatar, and the State of Kuwait, during a meeting held in Abu Dhabi, agreed to establish the Gulf Cooperation Council of Arab States. They placed before them the importance of achieving coordination, integration, and interconnection among member states in all fields, as well as cooperation among the citizens of the Council’s member states.
The establishment of the Council was not a sudden decision; rather, it was an extension of a historical, social, and cultural partnership, alongside geographical homogeneity and a shared identity. The Council also emerged after an idea confided by the then-ruler of Kuwait, the late Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, to his fellow Gulf and Arab heads of state, which was well received. The formation was a response to the security challenges of the time, the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in the region, and the spillover of the war’s flames into some Gulf states that had no involvement in this conflict.
Today, GCC member states are witnessing major transformations at both the political and security levels. The region is witnessing heightened tensions, facing military escalation and regional instability, exemplified by Iranian attacks using missiles and drones on vital sites and facilities. These targets were nothing but developmental achievements built on the efforts of Gulf youth, both young men and women. Among these targets were the Kuwait International Airport and the headquarters of the Public Institution for Social Security in Kuwait, as well as other targets in our Gulf states. This has written a living example in history of the heavy price we are paying once again, as we, too, have no involvement in this war.
Furthermore, the brutal Iraqi aggression against Kuwait in 1990 inflicted a deep wound on the nation’s psyche. The GCC also played an active role in providing security support to Kuwait, both regionally and internationally.
In short, those days were not merely passing challenges, but real tests of the ability of our Gulf societies to maintain cohesion and cooperation, and of our leaders to coordinate in protecting the region, exercising patience to avoid sliding into the quagmire of war, and creating conditions for the GCC to resume its true role in enhancing diplomacy among various blocs and multiple regional parties, and building bridges of coordination and integration to strengthen security and prosperity... The story continues.
