The Arab Gulf States (AGS), or the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates), have historically used foreign aid and humanitarian aid as a quiet tool of their respective foreign policies within the wider Middle East.
The Arab Gulf States (AGS), or the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates), have historically used foreign aid and humanitarian aid as a quiet tool of their respective foreign policies within the wider Middle East. More recently, however, we have seen targeted financial aid and military assistance by these states, particularly Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, towards neighbours in crisis. Looking at the expansion of GCC state aid in the wider region after 2011 in the historical context of oil wealth windfalls, the article offers a close case study of UAE aid and financial intervention in Egypt. UAE aid and investment ties to Egypt are part of a growing strategic commitment linking Emirati domestic economic interests and security interests, particularly on counter-terrorism and weakening extremist ideologies. The flexibility of Emirati economic statecraft reflects a willingness to reduce support, especially when the investment opportunities are not seen as profitable to the state and its related entities. Arguably, the Emirati approach to Egypt presents a new form of conditionality, less interested or invested in the implementation of fiscal reform or political inclusion, and more concerned with advancing the twin goals of state-led capitalism and a regional vision of secular Arab leadership.
Gulf central banks can increase transparency by adopting credible reform agendas focused on the publication of accurate statistics, disclosure of analysis and forecasting methodology, and forward-looking explanations of policy decisions.
Opposition success in Turkey’s local elections is an unprecedented rebuke to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While his constitutional power and dominance of the judiciary remain intact, Erdogan is probably in his final term and will find domestic and foreign initiatives somewhat more complicated.
As Syria’s reintegration into the region continues, a holistic, long-term approach is needed to tackle the Captagon crisis plaguing the Middle East.
Through its careful examination of the forces shaping the evolution of Gulf societies and the new generation of emerging leaders, AGSIW facilitates a richer understanding of the role the countries in this key geostrategic region can be expected to play in the 21st century.
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