GRM 2010 Report - Centre of Islamic Studies - University of ...

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The 2010 Gulf Research Meeting
Indeed, it has been remarkable in its durability. It is proving to be one of those few cases - perhaps
the only case - in the Arab world where regional cooperation is not only working but actually
deepening, albeit in fits and starts.
In a paper titled “After Saddam: Restoring Balance in the Gulf,” Dr Judith S. Yaphe of the Institute
for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, Washington D.C., pointed out
that the GCC states are consumers and not producers of security, and far away from “jointness”
in military planning or strategic thinking. Their response to risk has been to seek stronger
commitments to their security from the US and European governments and to encourage their
new friends and customers in Asia – China, India, and Japan – towards greater cooperation as
well as arms and oil sales. The extent of their discussions with European and Asian governments
would seem to indicate that actual security cooperation may not have been raised and that none
of these governments are interested in contributing to Gulf security or protecting sea lanes and
access to oil and gas. The United States will be present in the Gulf for some time. The desire of
the US to reduce its military footprint and the vulnerability of forward deployed forces needs to
be balanced against the deterrent value of a visible US military presence in the Gulf. If friends and
enemies no longer see US forces and operations, they may conclude that the Gulf governments
are once again vulnerable to intimidation or outright threat and that the US is less likely to defend
its interests and honor its security commitments in the region.
A paper titled “When will Iran Stop Being an ‘External Enemy’ in the Eyes of the Gulf States?”
was presented by Dr. Özden Zeynep Oktav, Associate Professor at the Department of Political
Science and International Relations, Yıldız Technical University Istanbul, Turkey. The paper argued
that following the military presence of the United States in Iraq, the traditional balance of power