Over the last decade, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries have energized their role in regional affairs, from the use of military intervention, to increased bilateral foreign assistance, to a more robust regional coordination role. This more assertive posture, combined with a perception of U.S. disengagement from the Middle East, has prompted GCC countries to seek and establish strong relations with other centers of power, regionally and globally.

In this fourth roundtable of its Gulf Rising series, led by Florence Gaub, senior analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies, AGSIW looked beyond GCC relations with the United States to examine political, security, and economic ties with North African countries. Participants explored the regional and domestic issues that have defined the Gulf states’ foreign policy choices toward the Maghreb and vice versa, as well as the implications for regional stability and U.S. interests.