The Gulf Cooperation Council and U.S. Security Interests in the Persian Gulf

Abstract

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that any attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America. A decade later the United States was at war after one Gulf state was invaded and another was placed at risk. It is clear that we still count Gulf security and stability as vital interests. As we now consider possible future security arrangements for the Gulf region, it is worth looking at the potential usefulness of regional organizations. Of greatest interest in this respect is the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), composed of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. What kind of security role can the GCC play? Are there means by which the United States can strengthen the GCC's ability to be a collective defense organization? This paper attempts to answer these questions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 11, 1991
Accession Number
ADA437712

Entities

People

  • Laurie Johnston

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Air Defense
  • Arabia
  • Cooperation
  • Defense Systems
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Iran Iraq War
  • Iraqi-War
  • National Security
  • Persian Gulf
  • Petroleum Industry
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Security
  • Training
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security