The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a pivotal regional organisation in West Asia that has played a significant role in shaping the region`s political, security and economic landscape since its inception. Over the decades, the member states have made considerable strides in fostering economic integration and developmental cooperation. The GCC has demonstrated collective resolve in navigating key regional security challenges, including the Iran–Iraq War, the Iraq–Kuwait War, as well as recent conflicts such as the Israel–Hamas War and the Israel–Iran confrontation.

Despite this cooperation, internal divisions persist due to divergent national interests, contrasting threat perceptions, differing alliances with regional powers and varied approaches towards the non-state actors. These differences culminated in the 2017 Qatar crisis, when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a diplomatic and economic blockade on Qatar. Although the dispute was formally resolved at the AlUla Summit in January 2021, the episode exposed underlying fractures within the organisation and raised questions about its cohesion and long-term relevance. In addition, protracted instability in the neighbourhood – such as Iran’s regional posture and the civil war in Syria and Yemen – continues to pose challenges to the GCC. Bilateral tensions, particularly the Saudi–Qatar relationship, the varied stances of member states towards Iran, and their differing positions on groups like Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, further complicate intra-GCC dynamics.

While the United States remains the most influential external actor in the Gulf, maintaining strong bilateral ties with all GCC member states, these countries have also expanded their engagements with other important countries such as Russia, China and India. Against this backdrop, this book provides a comprehensive analysis of the GCC’s evolution, its response to regional conflicts, intra-organisational tensions, the Qatar crisis and its strategic relationships with key external powers in the region.

Dr. Prasanta Kumar Pradhan is a Research Fellow and Coordinator of the West Asia Centre at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. He holds a doctorate from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His areas of interest include foreign policy, security and strategic issues in West Asia, and India`s relationship with West Asia and the wider Arab world. Dr. Pradhan is the author of India and the Arab Unrest: Challenges, Dilemmas and Engagements (Routledge, London, 2022), Arab Spring and Sectarian Faultlines in West Asia: Bahrain, Yemen and Syria (Pentagon Press,           New Delhi, 2017) and the monograph India`s Relationship with the Gulf Cooperation Council: Need to Look beyond Business (MP-IDSA, New Delhi, 2014). He is also the editor of the book Geopolitical Shifts in West Asia: Trends and Implications (Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2016), co-editor (with Sujan Chinoy) of India`s Approach to West Asia: Trends, Challenges and Possibilities (Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2024) and co-editor (with Sujan Chinoy) India’s Policy towards West Asia: The Modi Era (Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2024).