Abstract:

From a Gulf standpoint, no doubt, the successful conclusion of the second Gulf war between the GSied and UM-authorised Multinational Coalition - in which the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) played a central role - and Iraq to force the Saddam Hussain regime to abandon its annexation of Kuwait is the event which has ushered in profound social and political change in the region. After ail. Iraq has been humbled, even if the Saddam Hussain regime has not been destroyed, and a major threat to Gulf security has apparently been removed. At the same time, links between the Gulf region, particularly the Arab oil-producing states of the Gulf, and the West, have been significantly strengthened.