The Gulf Cooperation Council at Forty: Risk and Opportunity in a Changing World

The GCC countries are experiencing significant socio-economic transitions due to fluctuating oil prices, demographic pressures, high unemployment rates, and a lack of economic diversification. They are also likely to feel the rising impact of climate change and global policies to deal with it. Additionally, shifts in the long-standing international order, notably the rise of China and uncertainties about U.S. leadership, have potentially serious implications for the Middle East and beyond. This book of essays by noted scholars and experts considers the key trends shaping the GCC, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, economic disruptions, demographics, and other domestic concerns, and shifts in the global order. It addresses questions such as how global megatrends will impact the GCC, how GCC states can adjust and diversify their economies, how they can adjust their labor markets to absorb and support women and youth, and how inter GCC disagreements will impact the region moving forward.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 310 pages
Publication date: 22 February 2023
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are experiencing significant socio-economic transitions that are posing significant challenges to their public finances and economic outlooks. These challenges include fluctuating oil prices, demographic pressures, high unemployment rates, and a lack of economic diversification. Additionally, the countries are likely to be affected by the rising impact of climate change and global policies to address it over the coming decades. Furthermore, the long-standing international order is undergoing significant shifts, with the rise of China and uncertainties about U.S. leadership potentially having serious implications for the Middle East and beyond. This policy-oriented book of essays by noted scholars and experts considers the key trends shaping the GCC, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to climate change, economic disruptions, demographics, and other domestic concerns, and shifts in the global order. The book's chapters address questions such as how global megatrends will impact the GCC, how GCC states can adjust and diversify their economies to meet the dual challenges of fluctuating oil prices and climate change, how they can adjust their labor markets to absorb and support women and youth, how inter-GCC disagreements will impact the region moving forward, and how GCC relations with international actors will shift in the coming years. This timely book, with its comprehensive analyses and policy recommendations, will be of interest to a wide range of readers interested in the GCC region, including policymakers, academics, and researchers at think tanks and nongovernmental organizations.

Weight: 408g
Dimension: 225 x 151 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780815739531