Political analyst:GCC confederation ideal choice

Following Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah’s call for the GCC to transform into a single entity, a leading political analyst said fulfilling the king’s vision would depend on certain criteria being met. Sadaka Fadel, professor of political science and Shoura Council member, said there is a huge difference between “unity” and a “single entity.” “To be able to understand the difference we need to understand what drives countries to form unity and cooperation,” said Fadel. Four elements must be considered, including the geographical locations of the countries in relation to each other and social similarities, confirmed common interests, common threats, common values and ideologies. King Abdullah called on leaders of the six-nation GCC to work on strengthening their alliance and work toward a united “single entity” at the opening ceremony of the GCC leaders' two-day summit meeting that ended on Tuesday. When countries choose to be united, Fadel pointed out, they sign a framework agreement for cooperation, after which they work out how to form a union. The GCC, founded in 1981 as an economic and political group, includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. They chose a confederation system, said Fadel. This allows countries and governments to form a comprehensive international Gulf organization to cooperate in the fields of politics, economics, social and security while maintaining their separate sovereignty. Other formulas might prove to be stronger and more powerful, said Fadel, pointing to a federal system as an example. “This happens when two or three countries decide to use a system similar to that used in the United States and form one state with a central capital and represent the group of countries in the international community,” said Fadel. The level of unity in these countries is to the point of complete fusion, he pointed out, adding that although the formula seems similar in the GCC, there is less integration. “When King Abdullah called for a union, I believe he was calling for tightening up of the existing framework,” said Fadel, stressing that the economic union should be activated while maintaining each country's sovereignty. The GCC has its own constitution, pointed out Fadel, yet the level of unity has not increased as King Abdullah demanded. The GCC leaders chose the confederation system for specific reasons, said Fadel, stressing that they need to work on implementing a united economic agreement, internal and external policies, freedom to export and import goods and services and eventually build a single army.