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The intra-GCC crises: mapping GCC fragmentation after 2011
Abstract
If shared security perceptions were the foundation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), 2011 might be analysed as the watershed year in which the GCC began to fragment from within. Both the 2014 and 2017 intra-GCC crises were manifestations of conflicting security perceptions, formed across the GCC countries in and since 2011. Through an in-depth analysis of the events and of the subsequent reaction of the GCC governments in terms of discourse and foreign policy, we distinguish three different categories of conceptualization. First, the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates perceived domestic protests as an ‘intermestic’ threat—triggered by the intersection of the international and domestic levels. Second, the leaders of Oman and Kuwait conceptualized protests in their countries as manageable domestic insecurity, rather than as fully-fledged externally orchestrated events—arguably because they did not perceive a direct danger to their stability and legitimacy. Finally, it can be argued that the government of Qatar did not see any real danger in the protests but instead viewed them as an opportunity to expand Doha's regional influence, arguably at Riyadh's expense. Unpacking the fundamental factors shaping such perceptions is the key to finding the appropriate framework for analysing GCC security in the future.
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“Interestingly, Kuwait and Oman did not align themselves with the anti-Qatar bloc: Kuwait initially sought to mediate in the crisis, and Oman opened its ports to vessels travelling to and from Qatar, with its national airline also offering additional flights to Doha (Bianco and Stansfield 2018: 618).”
From Regionalism and Alliances in the Middle East, 2011-2021: From a “Flash in the Pan” of Regional Cooperation to Liquid Alliances (2024) · cites this paper as Bianco and Stansfield 2018
In the citing paper
“However, as (perceived) threats grew stronger and new ones arose -all the while the regional environment remained volatile -major Arab players soon disagreed on the definition of what constituted a main threat to regime survival (Bianco and Stansfield 2018).”
From Regionalism and Alliances in the Middle East, 2011-2021: From a “Flash in the Pan” of Regional Cooperation to Liquid Alliances (2024) · cites this paper as Bianco and Stansfield 2018
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bianco, C., & Stansfield, G.
- Venue
- International Affairs
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 2018-05-01
- Volume
- 94
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 613-635
- ISSN
- 0020-5850 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2346
- OpenAlex
- W2800161174
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 4
- FWCI
- 22.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Affairs (publishedVersion)
- Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (acceptedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Middle East Politics and Society
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › International Relations and Foreign Policy
- Keywords
- Gulf Cooperation Council, 2011 Arab uprisings, perceived security, regional fragmentation, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, regional security
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