The Gulf cooperation council project

The gulf cooperation council project 1981-2016

In this book, the economist Kambiz Zare throws new light on one of the most discussed international economic integration projects of our time - that of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Created in 1981 by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, this ambitious regional project had political, economic and financial aspirations, but its success has been decidedly uneven. To explain why, the author examines the feasibility of the GCC project from today's perspective, contrasting the evolving economic and financial circumstances in the six countries with the conditions that are necessary for regional integration to be achieved. In doing this, Dr. Zare clarifies why the GCC's potential to bring economic gain to the region and its people has been so elusive. By focusing on the GCC's first 35 years, from 1981 to 2016, the book offers a firm groundwork for understanding the ongoing dynamics of the GCC region. Its relevance is highlighted by the current political tensions that have arisen among certain member countries : might they have been averted through greater attention to the building blocks of economic and financial cohesion ?