ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is not to discuss in detail the substantial arms purchases of the Gulf states during the last decade nor to scrutinise the number of armed forces which may be found in various statistics, 1 but rather to analyse:
potential and limitations of the six states of the GCC with regard to creating an effective defence force;
their security concept; and
efforts and constraints of the GCC in the field of internal as well as external security since its constitution in May 1981.
