Publication

This publication explores how the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states’ economic tools and interests intersect with their political and security interests. Key insights include 1) that the GCC states’ economic model rests on three pillars: high energy rents, highly centralized and personalized power structures, and the extensive use of foreign workers; 2) the blurring of lines between politics and business enables the GCC states to deploy economic levers in support of their geopolitical aims in unparalleled ways; 3) collectively, the GCC countries would make for a sizeable geopolitical actor, but their divergence on key issues prevents them from carrying out synchronized multilateral action; and more. The text’s author also examines the implications of the GCC’s geo-economics for the EU.