Executive Summary
The Arab states of the Persian Gulf are often in the news and are critically important to the United States. The media and the political universe give great attention to how the world sees this region but little to how those who live there perceive the world and the environment around them. I will take a look here at the world and the regional environment from the perspective of the six Arab states that compose the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.
The GCC states share many attributes, interests, and concerns, though each has its own unique history, location, and experiences that shape its perceptions of its surroundings and the developments that could threaten the state. In examining the issues and challenges that these countries face, I hope to capture both the perspectives they share and those in which they differ.
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