The Gulf seems to be in a state of flux. Things on more than one front appear to be getting more complicated. There is this looming danger of an Iraqi civil war, with some prominent Sunnis having been barred from running in the Iraqi parliamentary elections next month; a fragile ceasefire between the Al Houthi insurgents in Yemen and Yemeni and Saudi forces; and Iran defiantly thumbing its nose at the international community by bragging about becoming “a nuclear state” with the capacity to enrich uranium at higher than 20 per cent or even up to 100 per cent as stated by Ali Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency. The United States doubts the Iranian capabilities of achieving that and is rallying the international community to slap the nation with more sanctions and isolation. …
What is relevant in our region is that these developments and challenges will impact us negatively. As for Iran, it will determine the country’s future and shape the direction of the Iranian Revolution and its relations with its own people as well as its neighbors who feel less secure. Furthermore, Iran seems to be losing its soft power and much acclaimed democratic practices in the eyes of millions of Arabs who are now disillusioned and vocally questioning the merits and the viability of the Iranian democratic model and practices. …
It is ironic that while Iran continues to represent an existential security threat to all GCC states because of its nuclear program, its hegemonic tendencies and grandiose plans the GCC states continue to lack a coherent and well-thought-out strategy in dealing with Iran. This lack of a strategy has not worked in the past and won’t work in the future to nudge Iran towards a more accommodating posture, vis-a-vis its GCC neighbors. Further, it has not allayed Iran’s fears and Tehran keeps threatening to target GCC states and American bases in the region, shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz and inflict damage against sensitive installations such as oil terminals and refineries, water desalination plants and electricity grids. Access the full article>>
