ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the Persian Gulf regional institutions and alliances around which political, economic, and security issues are formed. The Gulf Cooperation Council was founded primarily to create a regional mechanism for interstate consultation on a wide range of economic and security issues affecting the six "conservative" gulf states. Saudi Arabia is the largest Western-aligned military power in the Persian Gulf region but is dwarfed by the resources of Iran and Iraq. Internal security seems to remain the prime national concern, and absent the appearance of an overt external threat—which to date has not materialized to the satisfaction of the GCC states—the priorities are unlikely to change. Considering the strategic importance of Aden to Soviet policy in the gulf region, the Soviets can ill afford surprises if they threaten to weaken the Moscow-Aden military entente. Oman's potential strategic contribution to the West is obvious. It has central responsibility for protecting the unimpeded passage of oil to and from the gulf.
