The Persian Gulf States: Post-War Issues for U.S. Policy, 2003
Abstract
The Bush Administration has said that the fall of Saddam Hussein s regime in April 2003 will ease the security challenges the Persian Gulf region faces. The U.S.- led war has ended Iraq s ability to produceweapons of mass destruction (WMD)and virtually ended any Iraqi conventional military threat to the region. However, some of the Persian Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates) fear that Iraq might no longer serve as a strategic counterweight to Iran and they fear that pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim groups might obtain a major share of power in post-war Iraq. Substantial Administration concern remains about Iran sWMD programs, particularly what appear to be rapid advances in its nuclear program, and the potential for Iran to transfer that technology or materiel to the terrorist groups it supports. Over the longer term, with Iraq no longer a major power and the United States likely to sharply reduce its Gulf presence once Iraq is stabilized, the Gulf states might try to fashion a new security architecture for the Gulf that is based more on regional states and less on the United States. On the other hand, a reduction of the U.S. military presence in the Gulf might benefit the Gulf states by easing internal opposition to close cooperation with the United States. Internally, most of the Gulf states are feeling pressure from a portion of their publicswho largely viewthe U.S. war on Iraq as an invasion and occupation and who blame Gulf and other Arab governments for failing to head off the U.S. offensive. The Gulf governments are also being blamed by some in their population for failing to persuade the United States to end what is viewed in the region as a pronounced U.S. tilt toward Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. At the same time, some Gulf states are opening up their political processes as a means of deflecting popular pressure.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 14, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA476231
Entities
People
- Kenneth Katzman
Organizations
- Library of Congress