Tuesday, 30 December 2008
By Jameel Theyabi
The Gulf Cooperation Council kicks off today in Muscat, Oman its 29th summit at a time when the world is plagued by political problems, economic turmoil, financial crises, and a terrorism "renewed" in its forms, types, and modus operandi.
Prior to every Gulf summit, journalists are told that this summit will be the summit of decisions not postponements, the summit of action not waiting, the summit of the single decision and the single fate.
Yet, the "silent" drawers are laden with "postponed" shelved decisions, some of which were adopted 15 years ago but are still under discussion; decisions that have not been yet implemented due to the tight "bureaucratic" grip.
With no doubt, the Gulf countries face both external and internal challenges. For instance, they have an "intransigent" Iranian neighbor that seeks to expand its influence in the region at their expense. This neighbor has been occupying three UAE islands since 1971, totally disregarding any potential understanding.
Also, the "terrorist" enemy still constitutes a lurking danger as it awaits the right moment, if not to explode, then to accuse the ruling regimes of treason. Demographics also constitute a problem to a few Gulf countries with the incoming people outnumbering the local inhabitants. As a result, the "democratic" country of India recently called upon the Gulf countries to consider its labor force as "migrants" and not "incoming" - and thus grant them political rights.
In my opinion, there are many solutions to the demographic problem, the easiest of which is nationalizing the "have-nots" and "qualified" Arab workers who are aware of the prevailing values in these countries.
Affected by the global challenges and dilemmas, the Gulf countries have resorted over the past 30 years to "balanced" policies to fend off the crises repercussions. Some citizens have not even sensed the danger looming back then on their countries. But nowadays, the citizen must take part in the decision-making process, totally aware of the looming dangers especially with the mounting international challenges and changes.
In addition, the GCC countries must speed up their cooperation and exchange experiences, now that some projects, meetings, and agreements have underlined how easy it is to work hand in hand. In this sense, political will alone can iron out all obstacles to joint action and Gulf integration.
The joint Gulf action has undoubtedly paved the way for some Gulf citizens though it still stands short of meeting the peoples' aspirations and ambitions, even in the aftermath of a few breakthroughs, such as the unified custom tariffs, the free movement of nationals between the GCC member countries with an ID, the common GCC currency to be launched in 2010, the wrapped-up economic feasibility study on two water projects, and the railway among the six countries.
There is a "pressing" need for common Gulf projects that would foster economic complementarity and unity away from autonomy and self-sufficiency. To this end, the "local" (Gulf) labor force must be employed and allowed to freely move among the member countries, according to programs that fight unemployment and poverty.
It is necessary to unify political stances and visions, away from overbidding and ostentation, which requires permanent coordination. Talking about a "strong" economy is not enough if uncoupled with a transparency policy amidst the ongoing global financial crisis. I am neither optimistic nor pessimistic thirty years after the establishment of the GCC, but I am "optissimistic," (i.e. between the two), just like some GCC citizens who wish for a rapid Gulf integration because our fate is one.
The six Gulf countries can become a model of integration and cooperation for all the countries of the world. The mission is an easy one. The peoples of the Gulf speak one language and have a common ideology as well as common traditions and customs. Their hearts too are heavy with "common" challenges, which makes their fate "one."
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Tuesday, 30 December 2008
JPost
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