Gulf gas: clouds of confusion

Individual GCC states have settled on convoluted ways of distributing natural gas due to a lack of cooperation

The states bordering the Gulf are caught in a cat's cradle of geopolitical complexity. This is as much the case within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as it is between certain GCC states and Iran. The muddle is clearly illustrated by the minimal progress among the region's governments towards coordinating the development of natural gas resources and gas distribution. At the launch of The Future of Gas in the Gulf in London at the end of June, editor Jonathan Stern said political relations are a problem: "They have worsened in the 2010s, and this accounts for increased interest in LNG imports rather than the expansion of regional pipeline cooperation." At the same time, according to Ster