Global Dynamics of National Security: Alliances and Resources - The Middle East

Israel

Preserving the security of the state of Israel while supporting the Arab-Israeli peace negotiations has been, and continues to be, an important policy for the United States. The United States has been a strong ally of Israel since the country was established in 1948 because of the two countries' shared political values, a historical relationship, and shared cultural and personal ties. Over time, the two states have also shared similar security threats, including Soviet aggression and, more recently, threats from radical Islamic fundamentalists and WMD.

The Persian Gulf and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Perhaps one of the most significant regions for U.S. foreign policy is the Persian Gulf (also known as the Arabian Gulf). Both Iran and Iraq have always been major powers in the Persian Gulf region in terms of size, population, resources, and military capabilities. But the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the subsequent oil crisis, and the Iran-Iraq war (1980–88) left many of the other Gulf States feeling vulnerable. On May 25, 1981, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates met in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to form an alliance known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, or the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The six GCC countries are tied together by their religious, cultural, and social mores. The GCC is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and holds meetings annually. The main bodies of the organization are the Supreme Council, the Ministerial General, and the Secretariat General.

The Peninsula Shield Force, created in 1982, was designed to increase the interoperability of GCC states' militaries, but its strength and validity were strongly questioned during the 1991 Gulf War. As of 2001 the cumulative strength of personnel in the GCC militaries (273,730) fell far short of Iranian totals, which stood at 424,600. Interestingly, a defense pact was never mentioned in either the charter or the framework of the GCC. It is generally believed that the states specifically chose to omit the terms "defense alliance" or "military cooperation" in order not to upset Iran or Iraq (when the dictator Saddam Hussein was still in power).

Instead, the purpose of the GCC, as stated on its Web site (http://www.gcc-sg.org/), is:

[To bring about] inter-connection between Member States in all fields, strengthening ties between their peoples, formulating similar regulations in various fields such as economy, finance, trade, customs, tourism, legislation, administration, as well as fostering scientific and technical progress in industry, mining, agriculture, water and animal resources, establishing scientific research centers, setting up joint ventures, and encouraging cooperation of the private sector.

In the aftermath of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the early 1990s, however, the GCC countries adopted a pact underlining the interconnectivity of their security. On December 31, 2000, at their annual meeting in Bahrain, the six countries resolved to come to on another's defense if necessary, stating that aggression against one meant aggression against all. Even though GCC states agreed to come to each other's aid in the face of aggression, this pact had not been ratified as of 2004.

Overall, the GCC aims to strengthen its political, economic, and strategic position in the region. Its member states seek to alleviate economic and population problems and increase trade flow to the area. Commercial, social, and even political alliances cannot be achieved if there is strategic regional instability. As a consequence, increasing military cooperation and securing defensive capabilities are priorities for the GCC.

U.S. ALLIES IN THE GULF. Since the decline of British authority in the Persian Gulf in the early 1970s and the end of the cold war in the early 1990s, the United States has played a strong role in the Persian Gulf theater. Its primary regional interests include protecting its national interests, protecting allies' security, and guarding the international oil supply.

In addition to the Peninsula Shield Force, each of the GCC states relies heavily on the United States for military protection, and the United States has dozens of military bases throughout the region. Among the most important American bases in the Gulf is the headquarters for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The Fifth Fleet is primarily responsible for all naval activities in this theater. Oman, which retains strong military ties with the United Kingdom, hosts U.S. airbases in Seeb, Thumrait, and Masirah. Qatar hosts the forward headquarters for the U.S. Army's Central Command. Many of the U.S. bases in the GCC states played important roles in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Many additional bases have been established within Iraq to support the U.S. presence there.

The United States has individual formal defense agreements with each GCC state except Saudi Arabia. Because of internal opposition, Saudi Arabia has not signed a formal defense pact with the United States but continues to have strong defense ties (including weapons procurement and training exercises) to its Western ally. Maintaining strategic stability in the six GCC states is of great importance to the United States because these countries' support is vital to U.S. presence in the region.