Introduction
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is also known as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf and it is an intergovernmental economic and political union consisting nations in the Persian Gulf with exception of Iraq. The member states include Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The institution was formally established after signing of a charter on 25th May 1981. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was formed because the member states shared the same political systems, social values, visions, and economic programs; however, it was mostly based on establishing connectedness and security needs (Colombo & Ragab, 2017). The states shared similar concerns when it came to security; this was noted when the Iranian revolution ended and as the Iran-Iraq war continued. The Gulf organization then adopted the aspect of “Collective Security” and made it its main goal (Hussein, 2009).
For many years, the member states have been dependent on oil and hence the reasons they are pursuing implementation of exceptional structural reform programs. Due to the common policies, the region has been experiencing fast growing economies globally as revenues from natural gas and oil are used to make major investments with the hope of having a stronger and powerful GCC organization. The expected future dominance of the region in the world can be backed up by being a host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The organization had adopted a common market a move that has since then eased the movement of services and goods (GCC, 2018). The Gulf Cooperation Council has severally launched similar economic projects with an aim of facilitating and promoting integration. The highest authority governing the organization is the supreme council often composed of member states heads and happens to be the highest entity for decision-making.
While the member states of the GCC organization continue to work in harmony to achieve the vision of becoming a powerful economic region, challenges that it faces might derail the success intended. The organization faces weaknesses that are caused by factors from within the member states. For instance, in 2017, the organization weaknesses were largely exposed after the rift with Qatar as some member states accused it of embracing of terrorist and sectarian groups that aims to destabilize the region. Much of the weaknesses that the organization faces have been associated with political competition that often influences the formulation of foreign policies. After the Arab uprising, a new era in the Qatari-Emirati competition was ushered further exposing the differences between the member states. The lack of a GCC framework to guide and govern the member states relationships, lack of mechanisms to solve disputes, failure to follow up on GCC resolutions, and no GCC court to back up the resolutions made have largely contributed to the weaknesses of the organization (Hassan, 2015). Based on these weaknesses of the GCC organization, the research seeks to investigate their causes and the consequences on the entity’s future.
The research paper has been organized into three section; the introduction, the methodology, and the literature review that presents the secondary data.
Research questions
The two research questions for the research are:
• What are the causes of GCC organization weakness?
• What are the consequences of the GCC weakness?

Hypothesis
Based on the research questions, it is hypothesized that there are numerous causes of GCC weakness and the consequence will be the likely creation of geopolitical instability in the gulf region.
Methodology
Research Paradigm
Research paradigm can be defined as the ideas or patterns of thoughts which include specific theories and methodologies that are part of a legal input to the research conducted. The current research involves two options of the paradigm are positivism and interpretivism. The positive paradigm includes measuring and predicting associations and observing specific objectives directly as found between study variables. The positive paradigm involves the collection of data and its conversion into a numerical form where statistical calculations are easily made bringing the best conclusions. The best part in using positive paradigm in research is that the researcher is given several hypotheses to use in the study or if they are not numerous, at least one hypothesis is provided. On the other hand, the interpretivism approach is used to bring varying approaches together since it is primarily concerned with the philosophical aspect of the idea. Researchers who use the paradigm approach focus on the different meanings and elements of an issue. The present research preferred the utilizing a positivism paradigm because it offers various methods of showing the connection between the variables involved in the study.
Research Approach
Researchers can use an inductive reasoning approach while carrying out the study. The method is done after the formulation of research findings, the observation of data, the tentative hypothesis and patterns found after observations and the conclusion is given. A deductive approach can be defined as the reasoning made after a theory is formulated before hypothesis and observations used to confirm the theory are tested on it (Farquhar, 2012).
The study involved an inductive approach because the researcher has to first formulate a hypothesis before observing and coming up with patterns formed in the data collected. The researcher focused on the use of secondary data sources which includes journals.
Research Design
In the current research, the researcher had the following study designs available for selection; the case study or survey and an experiment which involves research on the manipulation of independent variables with the aim of finding out their impact on the dependent variables. The survey determines the relationship which exists between two variables which have to be divided into dependent and independent variables. Moreover, the research design outlines the statistical relationship which exists between the dependent and independent variables. However, a case study not only shows the type of relationship involved and the statistical relationship between the variables but also brings these variables into one group. Therefore, it is hard for the data collected to be generalized into other groups according to Dul & Hak, (2008).
Data Collection
To make the research successful various sources of secondary data were used to collect the data needed. Specific secondary sources used in this research include scholarly journals, company reports, reference books and technical reports.
Advantages of Secondary data
Herrman (2009) explained that even though secondary data has some shortcomings, it has more advantages in comparison to the primary data. The following benefits were some of the reasons as to why secondary data was used in this study. First, secondary sources have readily available data, and therefore, the research is completed on time than when using primary data sources. Thus, time and resources are saved compared to using the primary method. The strategy allows undivided attention to the research since all the needed materials are available. Secondary data does not limit the researcher from taking data from specific points. Therefore, the researcher has numerous alternatives from where data can be collected. Moreover, the researcher can monitor various changes in the research over time since the secondary sources make it possible to determine and observe multiple trends and compare them to the data collected using primary sources. Secondary data complements primary data and makes sure that the data aligns with the one obtained. In addition, secondary data collection involves limited training and making it possible for any researcher to access it with little knowledge.
Shortcomings of Secondary data
The points above mark the benefits for secondary data although the method has some limitations and challenges. First, when using secondary sources of data, the researcher needs to interpret the data which proves to be a challenge since poor data interpretation may lead to inadequate findings. As a result, it can be hard to reach the objectives set for the research. Due to the many sources available, while using secondary sources for data collection, the analysis faces challenges in choosing the best source to get data since wrong choices result in undesired results. Moreover, it is hard to determine the quality of various sources of secondary data. The researcher finds it challenging to know wrong and correct information since most of the sources conflict each other. The analysis of data is challenging at times especially in this research since the data used was collected for other purposes and not for the present research topic. Thus, there is the possibility of bias in the usage of data. Secondary sources have data collected and researched by various researchers who have different views on the research topic. The researcher may not find some omitted information concerning the research making it hard to find specific information needed to complete the study.
Analysis and Interpretation to Be Used
The research focused on this paper needs to be completed using secondary sources of data which is known as the data collected by other researchers for different purposes from the one undertaken by the researcher. When gathering data using secondary sources, it is essential for the researcher to know that this data is mainly collected for the new research questions and the analysis of this data is different from other methods. These methods include the systematic reviews which bring together evidence which is related to the area where data was collected. Boslaugh (2007) noted that secondary data analysis uses the two types of data analysis which are qualitative and quantitative which enable the researcher to come up with valid conclusions.
The researcher needs to consider several things before using the secondary methods of data collection since it is clear that the researcher does not collect the data alone. Since the researcher undertaking this study did not collect the data in the secondary sources, it is common knowledge to say that the researcher is not familiar with the data and thus has to make an effort to know everything about the research. It includes the following; understanding the methods used to collect the data, the sampling technique used, the research questions and objectives involved, the research design, method of analysis used, the population available during the time of research and the findings formulated. The researcher should make an effort to familiarize with the data collected before using it in the actual research (Vartanian 2010).
Ethical Issues Related to the Research
The research was conducted ethically. Therefore, the researcher considered all the ethical issues to have authentic findings. Any information which was deemed inappropriate or harmful was not included when analyzing and compiling the results of the report. The researcher acknowledged that the information gathered from the secondary sources should be confidential such that only the authorized individuals accessed it to prevent the information from being used for unintended reasons. Therefore, citing to acknowledge the author’s work was critical in addition to having a reference list. The researcher should not have personal views and should not misinterpret the data while undertaking the research.

Literature review
What Are The Causes Of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) Organization Weakness?
Colombo & Ragab, 2017) states that although the formation of GCC encouraged regional cooperation, the structural challenges were not sufficiently addressed and yet they continuously undermined policymaking in the GCC. The GCC states dominated the labor markets of the public sector and this triggered lower mobility across borders as well as lower internal trade levels among GCC members. Furthermore, the Gulf States demanded for different regulatory and legal frameworks. Competitive bilateralism was also seen when it came to trade deals as well as sale of arms that weakened the trials to form the collective GCC framework because agreements were done between individual member states instead of collectively. For instance, the officials from Saudi Arabia were furious when Bahrain negotiated with the United States for bilateral free trade in 2004. Saudi Arabian officials claimed that the agreement weakened GCC solidarity (Colombo & Ragab, 2017).
The GCC states have expressed different viewpoints which have at times instigated disagreements among them; this is not the only regional organization that has experienced such a hurdle. According to Lenderking et al. (2017), the differences within the organization were normally concealed in the past due to the Gulf area political culture. Such differences ranged from royal families competing against one another, border disputes, security threats in member states, conflicts of interest and foreign policies. Evidently, Scott-Jackson & Michie, (2017) observed that some differences have triggered bilateral crises that prompted some ambassadors to withdraw just as it happened in Saudi Arabia where in 2002 an envoy deployed to Qatar was recalled.
According to Legrenzi, (2015), by 2014, however, the GCC almost faced dissolution when Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates disagreed with Qatar; this posed a threat to the activities of GCC adversely as well as its functions. The disagreement was evident when the three states decided to recall the ambassadors they sent to Qatar; as a result, the conflict among the states span on for over thirty years. As a matter of fact, the disagreement initialized when the three countries failed to agree with one of the policies in Qatar which they claimed failed to comply with the security agreement that was signed by all the member states in 2014. In fact, the agreement required the member states not to interfere with the internal affairs of any of them, either indirectly or directly. The policy also stressed that no support should be given to any party, individual or organization that threatened the stability and security of any GCC state either through political influence, direct action or showing support towards the hostile media (Lenderking et al., 2017). Gengler & Lambert, (2016) states that the outcome was wave of protests that spread to other Arab countries that included Oman and Bahrain that are part of the GCC. Furthermore, some of the GCC states attempted to act so that they could maintain the status quo, stop the protests, and fortify GCC countries so that they could halt further spread. However, the efforts that were applied did not halt support for the democratic processes and this gave rise to political Islam especially in the Muslim Brotherhood that benefited from those uprisings and managed to win elections which led to totalitarian regimes being overthrown (Gengler & Lambert, 2016).
Despite the challenges the GCC organization was facing in terms of support for democracy and the changes in leadership, the Muslim Brotherhood movement was expanding and seemed to undermine legitimacy as well as the political stability of selected GCC states (Legrenzi, 2015). Even though some GCC member states started to subsidize the revolutions and contain some of the changes that were implemented, Qatar opted to support the uprisings and the influence they had on the economics, politics as well as press freedom (Scott-Jackson & Michie, 2017). Since Qatar decided to support the uprisings, it went against the policies of the other GCC states and it was followed by a withdrawal of the ambassadors which indicated political censure.
Hussein (2009) points out that the tensions between Qatar and the neighbor states of United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia could have an immense impact the Gulf citizens in terms of their freedom of mobility among different Gulf States. GCC has shown that it does not have strategic communication and there are low levels of trust among the states; as a result, the region’s economic integration has been undermined. Furthermore, the involvement from other international bodies has significantly increased among the Gulf States both collectively and individually even though there ought to be no involvement with the affairs within the region (Lenderking et al., 2017).
Regrettably, GCC seems to have a weakness because of how its ranks split even though they still have a meaningful purpose. In fact, the Saudi Arabian based Peninsula Shield Force aimed to integrate the GCC members’ military capabilities but this was a priority for the United States as well as various external security members (Legrenzi, 2015). Ideally, GCC does not seem to show its unity in a substantial manner because every Gulf state prefers to maintain exclusive security ties with Western powers; the rivalries among royal families of the member states are still acute; and every state has attempted to develop the unique strategy of economic development (Scott-Jackson & Michie, 2017).
Since the disagreement with Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other member states have broken their diplomatic relations with Doha and they have closed their airspace and land borders to Doha (Colombo & Ragab, 2017). This signifies the worst crisis since GCC was formed in 1981 which was aimed at economic and political alliance as a reaction to the sources of the regional upheaval that include Iranian revolution, the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt and Egypt’s isolation (Lenderking et al., 2017). It is important to note that Saudi Arabia has had several territorial issues with many of member Gulf states at different points over the years. The incidents show that there is a power imbalance between Saudi Arabia and the neighbors which has triggered a reluctance to perceive GCC as centered on Saudi Arabia to the rest of the members (Legrenzi, 2015).
Unfortunately, the GCC experienced problems during the crisis with Qatar but this magnified concerns among the ruling circles within the Gulf capitals concerning their vulnerability towards pressure from Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Oman and Kuwait officials tried to find a balance in the international and regional affairs and tried to appeal to the president of Iran in 2017 to find out measures of de-escalating tensions between Iran and GCC (Colombo & Ragab, 2017). There is an absence of current formal resolutions with Qatar especially since the crisis began and the member states have applied informal tactics which may damage chances of repair on the social cohesion of Qatar and the neighbors (Legrenzi, 2015). The three member states launched vitriolic attacks against Qatar in which they refer to the country as a regime which referred to its ruling family.
The chances of the internal crisis being prolonged in the GCC will weaken the organization. Alternatively, the organization may survive but have less relevance because individual capitals that have minimal affinity with GCC (Colombo & Ragab, 2017) trigger policymaking. It is likely that GCC may divide informally and include Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain counterbalanced by Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. These key Gulf capitals are fast-paced and unpredictable especially after the Yemen war was prosecuted and economic measures were taken to replace the falling prices of oil as well as government revenues. However, all decisions are undertaken at a national level which threatens the viability of the ongoing projects which are important in unifying the organization during this period of economic uncertainty.
Since three member states decided to prevent Qatar citizens and goods from entering their borders, it has affected the common market which was initially started in 2008. The Intra-GCC trade, nonetheless, increased over those nine years as trials to form the common electricity grid, infrastructure network and energy market became successful partially. Qatar, unfortunately, already broke the agreement with GCC consensus particularly when its government brought forward plans to revisit the residency law in order to grant and extend permanent residency.
Evidently, several causes have led to the weakening of the GCC organization the major one being the disagreement between Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. This is because it touches on the policies of the organization and threatens to disrupt the unity between the member states. The Muslim Brotherhood movement was also expanding and seemed to undermine legitimacy as well as the political stability of selected GCC states. Furthermore, although the formation of GCC encouraged regional cooperation, the structural challenges were not sufficiently addressed and yet they continuously undermined policymaking in the GCC (Colombo & Ragab, 2017).

What are the consequences of the GCC weakness?
The weaknesses that GCC organization is facing will have negative consequences on the political, economic, environmental, and security sectors. The inability of the organization to adequately resolve some of the challenges that it faces might to the worst lead to disintegration in the near future. Nonetheless, the instant consequences of the organization’s weaknesses are evident, and member states are already experiencing a negative impact. For a long time, the Gulf region has remained unstable and dynamic with the states being able to form summits that seek to discuss and resolve their differences. However, the danger levels in the last few years have been higher than ever before. Interstate relations have been tense between southern and northern states of Iran’s nuclear program and waterway (Legrenzi, 2015). Additionally, the region has been in confrontational with the international community on various issues a trend which is undermining the efforts of building constructive dialogue on dealing with the security issues that have been brought by widespread acts of terror. For instance, the weaknesses of the GCC for failure to have strong institutions have severally lead to conflicts between member states a significant one being the Middle East Cold War between Saudi and Iran. The expanding Cold War between these two countries has been sustained by the suspicions of each other in addition to the uncertainties caused by the constant changes in the region’s landscape. Gulf powers have been given energy by the Arab uprisings, and member states seek to get a share of the regional power by influencing foreign policy. The conflict between Iran and Saudi has been defensive and offensive at the same time mainly because of the power play and the need to have a united GCC organization (Legrenzi, 2015). Apart from the Iran and Saudi conflict, that exposes the organization to geopolitical instability, the Bahrain and Qatar dispute put to the test the cohesiveness of the Gulf region. The disagreement between these two countries has majorly because of Islands lying between them for oil exploitation purposes. At one time, the British intervened, but no amicable solution was reached between the two. While the conflict escalated, the GCC took it upon itself to find a long-lasting solution through some of the guidelines and rules guiding the organization. The case was resolved faster than expected after a new generation of rulers in both states came to power establishing the political will to have the dispute settled. Nevertheless, the critical weaknesses of the organization were exposed after failing to resolve the conflict using the mechanisms that the GCC charter specified often being regarded as a failure (Legrenzi, 2015). The way the dispute was handled by the organization shows the low degree of institutionalization of the GCC. For a long time, this aspect of weak institutions was a positive characteristic as the organization weathered significant crises between the member states as it was shielded from making decisions that would lead to a potential breakup. Years later, another crisis originating from the power struggle, security issues, and lack of reliable institutions would emanate from the Qatar diplomatic crisis where some of the GCC members such as UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain cut off diplomatic relations with the country. Evidently, the Qatar crisis was an escalation of the proxy conflict between Saudi and Qatar. While the crisis in 2017 received global attention, it exposed the challenges that the organization continues to face an aspect that affects the economic growth of the region. To date, many issues within the Gulf such as border disputes which undermines the unity of the states towards dealing with the regions problems internally. One of the foremost priorities of the GCC organization is the security of the member states (Legrenzi, 2015). For instance, the conflict with Qatar was because some states accused Qatar of supporting terrorism which was in violation of an agreement signed in 2014 among the GCC member states. Nonetheless, if there lacks a perception of a threat which is common, GCC states compete among themselves and considering the weak institutionalization, preventing unfair practices is difficult.
The resulting consequences of GCC weaknesses can be seen in the economic problems that the region has been facing despite the constant efforts to form a customs union. The negative impact of the conflicts between the member states on the economy can be demonstrated using the recent rift between Qatar and the Arab Gulf neighbors. One of the direct effects is slowing investment and trade while at the same time making it expensive to borrow money amid the grappling low oil prices (Legrenzi, 2015). Moreover, the constant rifts might discourage investors from injecting considerable resources in the region because of the uncertainties between the members. There is the need for the organization to address the economic challenges such as consolidation of regional economic integration. The implementation of the Gulf Common Market has become almost impossible as entrepreneurs face multiple hurdles when seeking to open new branches in the member states. The current problems in the region would have the fate of the customs union be in a balance as single-member states entered into bilateral FTA with America. Additionally, the GCC economies face a key risk due to the persistent low and volatile energy prices. A further drop in the revenues of oil will see an erosion of external and fiscal buffers quickly. The monetary policy response from the organization and the private confidence stands out to be critical in the growth effect of the low prices in oil. Many of the problems that the GCC organization faces emanates from the cost of hydrocarbons falling to a certain level (Legrenzi, 2015). The challenges affect the economy and include having uncertainties in budgetary allocations, the dominance of public sector, underemployment and unemployment among the local population, inadequate revenues that can finance the welfare states that are generous, and finally inability to be transparent in state budgets. Some of the remedies that have been proposed by bodies such as the World Bank for consideration by the member states include reducing the subsidies that governments offer to public and private sectors, cutting labor that is redundant, rationalization of spending which is non-productive, in addition to the introduction of large-scale consumption taxes. Ironically, for the organization, when the price of the hydrocarbons increases, all the challenges are forgotten. Thus, GCC states for a long time have been seeking to expand politically while making slow strides in attaining an economic integration. The fact is that the world and not only the Gulf region are suffering from dwindling resources. However, the recent trends require new approaches to dealing with the challenges. To resolve these problems the organization needs rigid political solutions that will improve the geopolitical and geo-economics of the Gulf.
The causes of challenges that the GCC organization is facing described above have primarily contributed to the poor strategies and policies on the management of water resources. GCC nations have been struggling in securing water resources as they are continually diminishing because of low rainfall, drought, and prevalent climate. Except for Oman and Saudi Arabia, the remaining states have extreme amid climates with precipitation that is negligible. The already strained sources of water have to deal with the growing pressure caused by human factors such as rapid urbanization, high growth of population, and vast agricultural and industrial projects (Al-Farra, 2015). The GCC organization has little choice rather than moving fast to securing alternative water sources. The member states need to develop policies and guidelines that compel recycling of wastewater from agricultural operations and sewage systems. Failure to find alternatives will be disastrous for the region in one or two decades to come. The increased dependence on desalination has continuously strained the national budgets of the member states and caused damage to the regional and domestic ecosystems. In the future, it is expected that the demand for water will continue to increase and hence the urgent need for sensible national water security policies within the organization. Moving forward, water management practices are critical to achieving water security in the Gulf. The conflicts between member states have prevented the organization from addressing common problems such as water scarcity, an essential commodity for every sector of the economy (Al-Farra, 2015).
Ehteshami (2013), states that beyond the security paradox that the Gulf region is facing, oil-based economic growth has not been promising which brings the question of long-term sustainability. Heavy reliance on labor that is imported, unemployment, lack of improved attention of efficient utilization of resources including factors of production, relying on oil revenues to finance pay raises, and the accountability problems depicts future instability of the region. The challenges and issues that the organization faces raise the question on the monarchial government resilience in the world of Arabs regarding the ability to manage the transition to reigning from the ruling. One of the most cherished caretaker roles has proved to become vulnerable in a time that discontent has been growing and there being unresponsiveness from the regime. Eroding statecraft has the potential of threatening the power and legitimacy of the ruling establishment’s oil monarchies. For instance, Bahrain presents a clear danger on this particular aspect of the entire GCC’s political stability (Ehteshami, 2013). The revolt by some of the residents in the GCC presents a weak link in the organization’s chain of integration. In future, the response to the crisis by the GCC will have the potential of affecting the political direction that the member states as a whole will take. In Kuwait, the country considered to be pluralistic compared to all the others has been having a dysfunctional relationship between the executive and the national assembly is alienating the population and becoming a hindrance towards successful implementation of the formulated strategic plans. Democratization that does not contribute to the society’s well-being fuels discontent among the people in addition to increasing their frustrations (Ehteshami, 2013).
On the other hand, in Oman, the efforts towards stabilizing the country have been most successful as reforms were introduced following the Arab uprising. Nevertheless, the problems of succession, unemployment, and accountability derail the progress of the country. In the United Arab Emirates, the fundamental strength of the nation has been having a leadership structure which is collective and complex. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, investments in public sector require sustenance from high oil prices. However, the recent low prices in the oil sector expose the Kingdom to budget deficits, spending which is not sustainable, pressure on education, healthcare, and social spending- aspects that trouble the more substantial population needs. There are political components to consider; Eastern Province where much of the country’s wealth has been buried is restless politically fueling violence (Ehteshami, 2013). Besides, there is the social problem of youth unemployment and underemployment, and finally, the campaigning by women groups on the need for increased social rights is testing the relationship between the elite and the conservatives. According to Ehteshami, (2013) both Iran and Iraq are in a period of uncertainty caused by the political differences between the different groups in both countries. Yemen, on the other hand, has its trouble including the expansion of al-Qaeda which threatens the economic and political stability of the impoverished nation.
It is quite clear that from the analysis above, geopolitics continue to shape the Persian Gulf’s interrelationship, globalization, as well as the security connectedness of the GCC member states. The dynamic of the regions security complex has been a vital dynamic which has continuously created an unstable interdependency. The current conflict and tensions between Qatar and some of the member states is not something new as history shows that it is the method which has been driving the relations of the member states. Nonetheless, the question that arises from the discussion provided above is whether the cohesiveness in the organization will remain firm in the future considering the delay by GCC to have strong institutions with the ability to solve internal disputes amicably without putting into jeopardy the possible disintegration of the organization.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the research paper hypothesized that GCC organization faces numerous weaknesses caused by various factors and hence there is a likelihood of creating a geopolitical instability within the gulf if adequate measures are not taken to resolve the challenges. The hypothesis has been developed further by the data presented in the form of literature review above. Some of the factors causing the difficulties within the Gulf region include lack of robust institutional frameworks, insecurity issues, unfair competition among member states, power play, poor economic policies, constant conflicts between members, overdependence on oil, competition for natural resources, and poor leadership among individual states. These and other factors have led to increased unemployment among locals, poor growth of the economy, decrease in the prices of oil, deficits in budget allocations, scarcity of water, acts of terrorism, and suspicions among the organization’s member states. The mentioned challenges expose the Gulf region to geopolitical instability in the future which might eventually have the organization disintegrated. Since the formation of the GCC, much attention has been on conventional security threats facing the region. As a result, the organization rarely seeks to solve other challenges that the area faces. While in the past it has worked, in future it might not as demonstrated by the recent Qatar diplomatic crisis. Among the most viable solutions to the current challenges is the formation of active institutions with the power to take disciplinary action against any member state that contravenes GCC’s agreement.

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