Book review: GCC—a fatal schism
Through a combination of adroit use of its vast gas reserves and careful diplomacy, Qatar has learned how to survive life under blockade, a new book says
A book chronicling successful attempts to achieve intra-Arab cooperation would sit comfortably on a shelf of the world’s slimmest publications. But there is one relatively successful story—or rather there was: the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In Qatar and the Gulf Crisis, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen argues that the surprise decision of Saudi Arabia and the UAE (with support from Bahrain and Egypt) to impose an economic and diplomatic blockade on Qatar in June 2017 may have dealt a fatal blow to the GCC. Three years later, the sorry state of affairs continues: three GCC states are still blackballing a fourth, while two (Kuwait and Oman) stand aside. So what is new? a cynic might ask. The GCC
Also in this section
17 May 2024
The latest drought crisis is passing, but longer-term solutions are in motion, explains Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez Morales
16 May 2024
Flat oil growth in 2024 highlights mounting industry problems
15 May 2024
Five years ago, Uzbekistan turned to a private company called Saneg to reverse the fortunes of its oil industry. Results so far are encouraging, and according to CEO Tulkin Yusupov, further progress is on the way
14 May 2024
But there is still plenty of appetite for the country’s LNG in the Asia-Pacific region