The crisis between the GCC states has been temporarily calmed by a statement issued April 18 during the Riyadh summit. The countries involved made a pact that none would threaten the security of any other member state. In other words, things reverted to how they were prior to the withdrawal of the Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini ambassadors from Qatar and ended escalatory measures, though the states maintained their divergent political views about the region’s crises.
The GCC was established to safeguard the collective security of Arab Gulf countries. However, 30 years after its founding, the council remains unable to take major steps toward that end. In fact, the developments surrounding the latest Gulf crisis between Qatar and Saudi Arabia reveal that the biggest threats to the security of GCC countries may, in fact, come from fellow GCC states.
