ABSTRACT
The uncertainties that surround US policy in the region have triggered a hedging strategy by Gulf Cooperation Council members. Hedging has been conducted in other places: some European countries have arguably followed a similar approach between the US and Russia, while small states in Asia have also attempted to avoid being trapped in the US–China competition by sustaining political and economic ties with both players. Hedging may be a convenient option for these states in the short term, but in the longer term may not bring stability or a new regional order: Gulf and Asian countries eventually pursue their own national policies without much consideration for regional coherence or coordination. For the scholar, putting the paradoxes of the Gulf–Asia rapprochement into perspective may require a revision of the traditional theoretical constructs that enabled an understanding of the region. The volatility of the new environment and the absence of multinational coordination obviously complicate the work of revision.
