Latest EU - GCC Materials

	Title: Europe and the Gulf Region – Towards a New Horizon
	By: Michael Bauer & Christian-Peter Hanelt
	Publication Date: July 2009
	Publisher: Bertelsmann Stiftung
	Publication Category: Discussion paper – revised version – presented at the 12th Kronberg Talks


Abstract: As a result of the economic and political hubris of the last decade, the order parameters of the international economy and of the international security architecture have been called into question. America's hegemonic position within the international economy and its role as leading actor in international security have been seriously weakened. The basic principles of international economic relations and security policy arrangements in different parts of the world have become unsustainable. These changes have created a multitude of political and economic risks and uncertainties that directly or indirectly affect the European Union (EU) and its member states and the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Both regions share an interest in promoting steps designed to overcome the global and regional turmoil at the beginning of the 21st century.


	Title: Reforming Higher Education in the Gulf States
	By: Michael Bauer
	Publication Date: April 2009
	Publisher: C·A·P
	Publication Category: Article
	Language: German

Abstract: Over the last years the Golf states have spent considerable financial resources for reforms in their higher education sectors. Some positive results in terms of institutional capacities and teaching quality can already be observed. Yet, additional efforts are required to ensure the sustainability of these successes. In particular the quality of the general education system must be improved, the employability of the graduates has to be increased and reforms in the governance structure of the education sector are needed. The Gulf states still have some way to go to accomplish the transformation into knowledge-based societies.


	Title: The Israeli-Hamas War in Gaza and its implications for the Region
	By: Michael Bauer and Christine Straßmaier
	Publication Date: January 2009
	Publisher: C·A·P
	Publication Category: Article
	Language: German

Abstract: The Israeli-Hamas war in Gaza has further complicated the complex conflicts in the Middle East. What is needed now is a strong engagement of the US and a new approach that also includes Hamas and regional actors such as Syria and Iran. Yet, despite the rhetoric of US-President Barack Obama it remains to be seen, where the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ranks on the agenda of the new administration and whether Washington has the political capacities to actually deliver results. Moreover the Palestinians and to a lesser extend also the Israelis are internally divided actors and their abilities to negotiate and reach compromises are questionable. Against this background the prospects for a successful restart of the peace process are not very promising.


	Title: Security Situation in the Gulf Region Involving Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia as Regional Powers. Policy Recommendations for the European Union and the International Community
	By: Michael Bauer and Christian-Peter Hanelt
	Publication Date: September 2008
	Publisher: Center for Applied Policy Research (CAP) and Bertelsmann Stiftun
	Publication Category: Discussion paper


Abstract: The importance of the Gulf region as a supplier of energy, an international investor and as a market for Europe is growing. Moreover the region as a whole has an enormous potential and economic dynamism is at it highest in the six member states of the GCC. In contrast to the potential of the region, the security situation in the Arab-Persian Gulf involving the regional power Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia is worsening. Teheran and Riyadh are competing for regional influence. The conflict potential ant the atmosphere of mistrust between the actors are on the rise because of the uncertain political future of Iraq, the controversy around Iran’s nuclear program and the tensions in Lebanon and the Gaza Stripe. An aggravating factor is that no sub-regional framework of cooperation and security exists that encompasses all three states.

	Title: Bahrain: Reaching a Threshold Project on Freedom of Association in the Middle East and North Africa
	By: Edward Burke
	Publication Date: June 2008
	Publisher: FRIDE
	Publication Category: Working Paper


Abstract: Bahrain’s top-down reforms, initiated by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa in 2001, were a welcome respite for a population weary of the violence and state repression that characterised much of the preceding decade. King Hamad’s relatively benign treatment of CSOs and his tolerance for a wider degree of freedom of expression has won international praise, most effusively from the United States. The lack of legislative and judicial reform however, means that Bahrain’s political societies, CSOs, journalists and trade unions continue to operate under flawed and inconsistently applied legislation. Restrictive legislation such as the associations’ law, public gatherings law and the legislation governing trade unions and the media urgently require amendment to concretely secure the rights which Bahrain is required to observe under its international obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As the 10th year of King Hamad’s reign approaches, in this working paper, Ed Burke argues that Bahrain has reached an impasse in its reform process.


	Title: ‘Strong Foundations’? The Imperative for Reform in Saudi Arabia
	By: Ana Echagüe and Edward Burke
	Publication Date: June 2008
	Publisher: FRIDE
	Publication Category: Working Paper


Abstract: Under the rule of King Abdullah Saudi Arabia appears to be slowly moving away from an exclusivist conservative doctrine towards a wider embrace of the beliefs and aspirations of its citizens. As this new FRIDE report points out, however, such a shift has been more in tone than substance. Mechanisms have not emerged to ensure more accountable government nor has there been a significant restructuring of the legal system to guarantee the rights of citizens. The country’s nascent civil society organisations operate within a narrow and vulnerable space, lacking the necessary legal guarantees to develop as a strong check on the abuses of power. King Abdullah has recognised that demography and the demands of a new generation of Saudi citizens have rendered the Kingdom’s old oil-dependent ‘rentier’ habits redundant for the future. The report argues however that moves to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy and empower its youth with the skills to prosper in a global competitive environment cannot be separated from wider political reform that will sustain progress by ushering in a new era of participatory and accountable government. It concludes that Saudi Arabia must move away from its current almost total reliance upon the fortunes of its founding and ruling family towards a shared responsibility in charting the country’s future direction.


	Title: Regional problems – regional solutions? Taking stock of the recent mediation efforts in the Middle East
	By: Michael Bauer and Julia-Kristina Ismar
	Publication Date: May 2008
	Publisher: C·A·P
	Publication Category: Policy Analysis


Abstract: For decades the Middle East has been one of the most unstable and unsafe regions in the world. Trying to resolve conflicts is a prime goal on the agenda of many governments and international institutions. Nevertheless, most of the peace initiatives proposed by outside actors so far have failed, as their proposed solutions to the conflict often did not really take into account the political realities in the region, but instead were more oriented towards the interest of the external actors. This instance was particularly apparent in the case of the US administration of George W. Bush. What is more, its rhetoric notwithstanding, the US also failed to offer a promising solution to the conflicts. At the same time, neither the so-called Middle-East Quartet, nor the Europeans themselves have been able to step in and fill the growing diplomatic vacuum. Instead regional actors have taken on the task of settling the regional disputes. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar, to only name a few. What are the prospects of these regional initiatives? Has US engagement in the region become obsolete? And what implications does this have for the European Union? What should its role be?


	Title: EU-GCC Relations in the Era of the Second Oil Boom
	By: Steffen Hertog
	Publication Date: December 2007
	Publisher: C·A·P
	Publication Category: Working Paper


Abstract: The GCC has emerged as hub of supreme economic and political importance, overshadowing the rest of the MENA region, but at the same time becoming increasingly integrated with it. As economic powers, GCC countries have a vested interest in regional peace. A much deepened European commitment towards EU-GCC cooperation is needed, and need to be explicitly reconciled with lager EU members’ bilateral strategies and interest. The EU needs to formulate a clear vision and benchmarks of cooperation, draw in high-level commitment, and create follow-up mechanisms for its GCC policies, which thus far have been too haphazard. The EU will have to overcome certain hurdles on multilateral cooperation with the GCC and needs to pursue a differentiated approach that allows for bilateralism when it is necessary, but strives for collective solutions where it is possible. It needs to recognize both it diplomatic advantages and its limits towards the GCC. While Eruope’s economic influence and its technocratic prestige are considerable, its political leverage will always be very limited, even more so than in other parts of the Middle East. Yet the liberalization processes that have unfolded during recent years in the Gulf provide new access for cooperation on reform in places as different as Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. The EU needs to play up its comparative advantages as multilateral body with wider regulatory experience, as something the GCC itself aspires to become.


	Title: The EU and the GCC. A New Partnership.
	By: Giacomo Luciani and Felix Neugart
	Publication Date: February 2005
	Publisher: Bertelsmann Stiftung, C·A·P , RSCAS
	Publication Category: Gulf Strategy Paper


Abstract: Gulf Strategy Paper presented by the Bertelsmann Group for Policy Research, Center for Applied Policy Research, Munich, Felix Neugart, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh, Christian-Peter Hanelt. In cooperation with "The Mediterranean Programme", The Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Florence, Giacomo Luciani. Update written by Felix Neugart & Giacomo Luciani, February 2005.

Latest EU - GCC Materials

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Latest EU - GCC Materials

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