Before he became king and even before the people had pledged allegiance to him as crown prince, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman had been known for 30 years as the guardian of Gulf issues inside the Saudi government.
He knows the regional countries, their royal families, governments, histories and issues as well as being fully aware of bilateral and shared relations.
Relations between the GCC countries are close because of their similarities, and when dealing with them a certain sensitivity pertaining to specific Gulf issues is required.
The GCC capitals are aware of changes in the region and the dangers these pose locally and in terms of international relations. The difficulties facing their economies and government budgets, as well as internal and external commitments due to the drop in oil prices, threaten both their incomes and political influence.
King Salman’s recent tour of the Gulf, which included four countries and his participation in the 37th GCC Summit in Bahrain, aimed to improve Gulf relations, something that is vital given that the GCC has a responsible role to play concerning Middle Eastern stability.
Indeed, the Gulf can be an important party in a number of Middle East crises. Its status goes far beyond simply the region’s population count; the Gulf takes on a balancing role in light of the absence of traditional Arab powers. The Gulf is also trying to fill the void caused by the Arab Spring as the region’s only remaining support at a time when other parties are involved in wars of survival.
We can view the royal visit as a way of improving both current and organized relations inside the GCC in light of its responsibilities. All members realize that this is a necessity because of the shocks and turbulence experienced in the region.
During the GCC Summit in Bahrain, King Salman spoke of the crises as “characterized by terrorism, domestic struggle and bloodshed, the result of the alliance of terrorism, sectarianism and flagrant interference leading to destabilization and breaches of security.”
He pointed to the actions of Tehran, in which the alliance between terrorism and sectarianism is obvious and the only winner is Iran whereas the losers are Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Riyadh is aware that the way to combat the crises and the alliance of enemies is through the GCC. If regional countries unite and agree, it will be possible to form a huge force against Iran, Daesh and Al-Qaeda. The force would be able to convince the superpowers to stand by them when it came to regional issues. Undoubtedly, King Salman is seeking to reach a unified position among the Gulf capitals due to his knowledge and long experience in dealing with the countries’ leaders and their institutions.
Now that the royal tour and the GCC Summit has concluded, the most important project for Riyadh is to convince the Gulf to work together to combat Iran, which wants to change the political geography and dominate the entire Arabian Peninsula, something that would threaten the council’s continuity and the well-being of its states.
Undoubtedly, respect for King Salman’s experience and private connections have led to a correction in, and development of, Gulf relations and have ended disputes in light of the real threats facing the region generally, and the Gulf in particular.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of Al Arabiya news channel and former editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.
* Originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat.
He knows the regional countries, their royal families, governments, histories and issues as well as being fully aware of bilateral and shared relations.
Relations between the GCC countries are close because of their similarities, and when dealing with them a certain sensitivity pertaining to specific Gulf issues is required.
The GCC capitals are aware of changes in the region and the dangers these pose locally and in terms of international relations. The difficulties facing their economies and government budgets, as well as internal and external commitments due to the drop in oil prices, threaten both their incomes and political influence.
King Salman’s recent tour of the Gulf, which included four countries and his participation in the 37th GCC Summit in Bahrain, aimed to improve Gulf relations, something that is vital given that the GCC has a responsible role to play concerning Middle Eastern stability.
Indeed, the Gulf can be an important party in a number of Middle East crises. Its status goes far beyond simply the region’s population count; the Gulf takes on a balancing role in light of the absence of traditional Arab powers. The Gulf is also trying to fill the void caused by the Arab Spring as the region’s only remaining support at a time when other parties are involved in wars of survival.
We can view the royal visit as a way of improving both current and organized relations inside the GCC in light of its responsibilities. All members realize that this is a necessity because of the shocks and turbulence experienced in the region.
During the GCC Summit in Bahrain, King Salman spoke of the crises as “characterized by terrorism, domestic struggle and bloodshed, the result of the alliance of terrorism, sectarianism and flagrant interference leading to destabilization and breaches of security.”
He pointed to the actions of Tehran, in which the alliance between terrorism and sectarianism is obvious and the only winner is Iran whereas the losers are Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
Riyadh is aware that the way to combat the crises and the alliance of enemies is through the GCC. If regional countries unite and agree, it will be possible to form a huge force against Iran, Daesh and Al-Qaeda. The force would be able to convince the superpowers to stand by them when it came to regional issues. Undoubtedly, King Salman is seeking to reach a unified position among the Gulf capitals due to his knowledge and long experience in dealing with the countries’ leaders and their institutions.
Now that the royal tour and the GCC Summit has concluded, the most important project for Riyadh is to convince the Gulf to work together to combat Iran, which wants to change the political geography and dominate the entire Arabian Peninsula, something that would threaten the council’s continuity and the well-being of its states.
Undoubtedly, respect for King Salman’s experience and private connections have led to a correction in, and development of, Gulf relations and have ended disputes in light of the real threats facing the region generally, and the Gulf in particular.
• Abdulrahman Al-Rashed is a veteran columnist. He is the former general manager of Al Arabiya news channel and former editor in chief of Asharq Al-Awsat.
* Originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat.
