Deepening Saudi-Emirati cooperation may be divisive

Subject

Saudi-Emirati strategic partnership.

Significance

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia are accelerating their strategic partnership. On June 6 they held the inaugural meeting of the Saudi-Emirati Coordination Council (SECC), signalling increased assertiveness and a deliberate turning-away from the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The partnership has become pivotal for the region but has delivered mixed results.

Impacts

• The new SECC will eclipse the troubled GCC as the driver of Gulf policies and may deter US efforts to convene a GCC summit in September.
• Excluded Kuwait and Oman may look for other regional ties, as they face increasing pressure from the Saudi-Emirati duo.
• The two countries’coordination against Iran will define long-term alliances in the Middle East region.