The Takeaway: With rift healed, GCC ramps up

The Gulf states deal with an urgent need for foreign investment, crisis on the Red Sea, and optimism for World Cup 2022; Did Rouhani call the US a ‘great nation’ that needs to return to its ‘rightful place’?
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud holds a press conferece at the end of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. - Gulf leaders signed a "solidarity and stability" deal after the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar publicly embraced, bringing Doha back into the regional fold after a three-year rift. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud holds a press conferece at the end of the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit, in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on Jan. 5, 2021. - FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images
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Andrew Parasiliti
@ATParasiliti

The GCC in 2021: Follow the money — and the soccer ball

The decision by Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to bury the hatchet with Qatar and resume political and economic ties is already paying off. As the pandemic permits air travel and trade to revive, the economic and social spillover benefits should increase.

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