The GCC Monarchies

Perceptions of the Iranian Threat amid Shifting Geopolitics

Bibliographic Data

ID21545293
AuthorsCinzia Bianco (0000-0003-3641-4937, University of Exeter, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume55
Issue2
Pages92-107
Publication date2020-04-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Spectator (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0393-2729 • E-ISSN: 1751-9721
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03932729.2020.1742505
OpenAlexW3034223558
LanguageEN
Citations received8
References cited36

The systemic shift triggered by a progressive retrenchment of the United States (US) from the wider Middle East region has been a fundamental game changer in the security perceptions of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) monarchies. The retrenchment activated a security dilemma in US-GCC relations, especially in relation to their view of Iran. However, the impact was uneven. While the dilemma triggered fears of abandonment in the three more hawkish players – Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain –, it generated fears of entrapment in the three less hawkish players – Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. The key differences between these two camps lie on their threat perceptions. Seemingly shaped by state ideology and religion, narratives of identity, socio-political demography and, finally, leadership cognition, these fears interact with domestic factors such as structural vulnerabilities, to affect the perception of Iran as an existential or non-existential risk

Development economics · Dilemma · Economics · Existentialism · Geopolitics · Ideology · Monarchy · Narrative · Perception · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Retrenchment · Sociology · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Psychology · Public Administration · Social Psychology · Socioeconomic Development in MENA

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