Pilots winging over raging Libyan battlefields in Mirage and F-16 fighter jets. A convoy of troops and tanks rumbling to the aid of an embattled partner. Defiant words for a regional bully bent on meddling in domestic affairs.
These are just some of the hallmarks of the new-look Gulf Cooperation Council — the bloc of six Arab nations that is shedding its image as a somnolent, oil-rich cartel and propelling itself forward in the role of hands-on military campaigner in the uprisings that are reshaping the region. It has already intervened — mainly with member Saudi Arabia’s troops — in the rebellion in GCC compatriot Bahrain. This is the GCC 2.0 and the world, and most especially Iran, is watching.
The unprecedented show of force has so far boosted pan-Arab pride, brought accolades from Western allies and reinforced a bulwark against ever expanding Iranian influence. “This level of involvement just sets an incredible precedent,” says John L. Esposito, professor of religion and Islamic studies at Georgetown University and author of The Future of Islam. “These governments usually use diplomacy or write a check. Now, [the GCC member states] have taken the opportunity to step out front in other countries on issues that are domestically driven.”
It began with the GCC’s deployment in March of some 1,500 Saudi-led security forces and armored vehicles — part of the Peninsula Shield force. The move helped put down a mostly Shi’ite revolt on the streets of Manama. It was a controversial gambit by a group mainly composed of Sunni monarchies, one that was denounced by Shi’ite-ruled Iran and Iraq . On BBC Arabic on March 26, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned that the GCC intervention risked setting off a regionwide sectarian war.
“It’s potentially very important. It’s certainly a crossroads, a potential flash point between Sunni and Shia. This engages a lot of people’s interests — Saudi, Iraq and Iran. The demonstrations and the ferocity of the response caught everyone by surprise — and so has the GCC reaction,” says Kenneth Pollack, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution and former staff member of the U.S. National Security Council.
The GCC power play continued with Qatar and the U.A.E. committing military muscle — including Qatari pilots and a dozen combat planes — to the punishing air strikes that the Western-led coalition hopes will protect Libyan rebels and civilians from the army of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. General Jean-Paul Palomeros, commander of the French air force, described the GCC states’ involvement as “a turning point in history. It really shows the courage [of Qatar] to enlist at our sides.”
