The Gulf Regional Cooperation after the Cold War

Abstract: The Gulf cooperation has gained new momentum after the end of the Cold War. However, it also faces various developing difficulties, including the low level of regional institutional cooperation and integration. The regional context of the regional cooperation in the Gulf region is composed by regional security, energy factors and monarchy form of government, in which regional security is the primary motivation which makes it possible for the co-existence in competition of two tendencies in this region: integration and division. The energy element is the most important reason for external powers’ involvement in the region as well as an important part in regional cooperation in the Gulf region. The monarchy is the key point to understand the relationship between the GCC and Iran and the geographical spillover of the GCC. These factors jointly shape the regional cooperation in the Gulf region.