In the wake of Manama Dialogue which concluded last week in Bahrain with an outright rejection to a proposal made by Robert Gates, the US Defence Secretary to integrate Iraq to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it is clear that passing on the responsibility to manage Iraq to someone, here on is not that easy. The refusal to the proposal indicates that the GCC which formed close to two decades ago to strengthen the region through economic co-operation is well aware of the consequences of literally adopting a complicated infant, Iraq.
The decision is contrary to Abdul Rahman al-Ateyah’s, the secretary general of the GCC, 2003 statement that there is nothing that prevents Iraq’s gradual joining of certain offices of the Gulf Cooperation Council after stabilizing of its conditions and forming its legitimate government. The GCC fears the inclusion of Iraq will pose a threat to the progress they have made through the recent agreement of common market access. They also fear the larger objective of single currency in the region could be jeopardized if a poorer nation is included in the present economic climate.
The US President-elect Barack Obama’s election promise of troop back out from Iraq has in fact alerted the GCC to avoid taking any extra commitment since Iraq is no more a power that they need to be protected against. Nevertheless, the GCC is in the process of creating better trade environment with Iraq by writing off debts and restoring full diplomatic relations, anything beyond that is most unlikely. Albeit Saudi Arabia was the first to oppose any plans to integrate Iraq with the GCC, other members are not with a different opinion either.
Decrease in profits due to sliding oil prices coupled with reduction in production has prompted the GCC to lay emphasis on economics of the region rather than politics. Therefore, Iraq getting integrated to the GCC any time soon is a far cry from reality.