The Persian Gulf States: Issues for U.S. Policy, 2006
Abstract
The U.S.-led war to overthrow Saddam Hussein has virtually ended Iraq's ability to militarily threaten the region, but it has produced new and unanticipated security challenges for the Persian Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates). The Gulf states, which are all led by Sunni Muslim regimes, fear that Shiite Iran is unchecked now that Iraq is strategically weak. The Gulf states strongly resent that pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim groups and their Kurdish allies (who are not Arabs) have obtained preponderant power within Iraq. This has led most of the Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia, to provide only halting support to the fledgling government in Baghdad and to revive the focus on U.S.-Gulf defense cooperation that characterized U.S.-Gulf relations during the 1990s. The new power structure in Iraq has had political repercussions throughout the Gulf region, particularly as Sunni-Shiite violence in Iraq has come to overshadow direct insurgent violence against U.S. forces as the key threat to Iraqi stability. The Sunni-Shiite tensions in Iraq apparently are spilling over into the Gulf states. Shiite communities, particularly that in Bahrain, have been emboldened by events in Iraq to seek additional power, and Sunni-Shiite tension in the area is said by observers to be increasing. Some Shiite communities, which view themselves as long repressed, are attempting to benefit politically from the Bush Administration's focus on promoting democracy and political reform in the region. Domestically, all of the Gulf states are undertaking substantial but gradual economic and political liberalization to satisfy U.S. calls for reform. However, the reforms undertaken or planned do not aim to restructure power in any of the states. The Bush Administration advocates more rapid and sweeping political and economic reforms as key to long-term Gulf stability and to reducing support in the Gulf states for terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 21, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA476138
Entities
People
- Kenneth Katzman
Organizations
- Library of Congress