JEDDAH, 16 November 2006 — Political reforms in the Gulf region is the topic of an event hosted by the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center (GRC), in cooperation with Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which takes place today in Beirut.
This will be the third annual event to focus on the process of political reforms among the Gulf Cooperation Council member states, which includes Saudi Arabia.
The event — “Identifying Drivers of Political Reform in the GCC Countries” — coincides with the Carnegie institute opening its new Middle East center in the Lebanese capital. Regional and international scholars and experts are attending the workshop and will discuss recent developments in the region.
The participants will focus primarily on the domestic factors driving the reform process, how far they have progressed in different countries, and how the transformation is likely to unfold in the short and medium terms.
The deliberations will also consider the impact of external factors — the Iraq crisis, the US midterm elections, and possible roles played by Europe and international bodies.
The workshop also aims to draw comparative lessons among the experiences of the GCC countries (Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia) as well as put forward ideas to reinforce the political-reform process by strengthening nongovernmental organizations.
The first and second Gulf Research Center-Carnegie meetings took place in 2004 and 2005.
