14 December 2008: The National
The fifth Regional Security Summit in Manama is under way, and, perhaps predictably, the US has concentrated the conversation on Iraq. As the focus of US involvement there shifts from military action to reconstruction and political reconciliation, Washington has increasingly sought greater regional involvement in its efforts. The GCC countries in particular have responded positively to calls for reopening of embassies and writing off the massive debt accrued under Saddam Hussein’s regime. But true co-operation on vital matters such as trade and security between Iraq and its regional neighbours have yet to materialise. Therefore the calls by Robert Gates, the US Secretary of Defence, for greater integration of Iraq into regional and Gulf co-operative structures are welcome.
While the Arab world is making progress in strengthening ties with Baghdad, Iran remains Iraq’s most active partner. It is doubtful that Tehran’s interest in Iraqi affairs amounts to more than a self-interested furtherance of its proxy conflict with the US. To counteract this negative influence emanating from Iran, the GCC must make inroads on re-integrating Iraq into the Arab fold.
But Mr Gates’ call for Iraq to be brought under the umbrella of the GCC is ill-advised. The council is built on the commonalities in political structures, geographical location and economic stature of its member states, which provide the necessary framework for co-operation on matters affecting all its members: there is an internal coherence to GCC nations that Iraq does not share, despite its vital role in regional stability and development.
Additionally, the GCC is still a nascent organisation, undergoing a period of transition from a loose conglomeration to a more closely aligned bloc. The body’s efforts toward establishing freedom of movement and trade, a common currency and greater security co-operation would be hampered by the introduction of a nation such as Iraq. The country’s political instability, security concerns, historic separateness and massive population would threaten the GCC’s stability as it undergoes this time of structural reform.
Yet there is still room for close co-operation between the GCC and Iraq in a super-regional format. Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, the Bahraini Foreign Minister, has called for the establishment of a broad-based organisation spanning the entire Middle Eastern and North African region. While such a grouping may be overly large for specifically Gulf co-operation, the principle is sound. In an area of the world that has witnessed so much political instability and war, more regional solutions to regional problems must be found.
Undoubtedly, as Iraq becomes a more stable nation, it will play an increasingly important role on regional matters. And the greater role that GCC nations play in supporting these efforts, the faster that day will come. However, support must be framed in the appropriate context. The GCC may not be that context.
