61. A Gulf apart: How Europe can gain influence with the Gulf Cooperation Council
- Author:
- Cinzia Bianco
- Publication Date:
- 02-2020
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
- Abstract:
- Since 2011, members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have become increasingly assertive players across the Middle East and north Africa, particularly given the shifting US role in the region. European countries, long used to working under a US umbrella in the Gulf, have struggled to recalibrate their relationships with Gulf states and have been increasingly marginalised as relevant actors. Europeans urgently need to strengthen their geopolitical role in the Gulf, overcoming competition between one another to shape a more autonomous, strategic, and forceful role in defence of their key interests. Europeans can shift the balance of power in the Gulf in their favour and help address key crises by approaching the Gulf through flexible new frameworks based on core coalitions that address specific issues.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Regional Cooperation, Geopolitics, and Gulf Cooperation Council
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Middle East, North Africa, and Gulf Nations