European Journal of Scientific Research (ISSN: 1450 ... - EuroJournals

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30 © European Journal of Scientific Research, Vol 7, No 5, 2005 formal leadership. Compared to the multi-level structure of the EU, the GCC structure is both hierarchical and undemocratic. THE SUPREME COUNCIL The highest authority of the GCC is the Supreme Council, comprised of the heads of state of each GCC member. .The Council's function is to set the domestic and foreign policies of the GCC and to (when necessary) amend the GCC's charter and rules. When necessary, the Supreme Council also functions as the Dispute Settlement Board. The presidency is rotated yearly. Each Council member has one equal vote and unanimous votes are required for approval of any major decision. The Supreme Council meets annually for a GCC Summit (usually in November). The Supreme Council also has primary authority over and responsibility for the Joint Strike Force. THE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL The Ministerial Council, which is comprised of the foreign ministers of each state, is the closest thing the GCC has to a legislative body although it may more properly be termed (because it lacks decision making authority) a "working, policy group". The-Ministerial Council meets quarterly and oversees a variety of Ministerial Committees and Expert Committees which together consider a wide variety of issues and policies. THE SECRETARIAT The Secretariat, headquartered in Riyadh, is the Administrative arm of the Gee. The Secretary General and two assistant secretaries-general are appointed by the Supreme Council. Divided into a half-dozen operational units, the Secretariat prepares studies related to cooperation and coordination, integrates plans and programs for common action, and over see the administrative and financial regulations of the GCC as a whole. ACCOMPLISHMENTS, PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES The GCC has in fact made impressive gains in fostering cooperation in economic policies and economic development among the member states. The members did establish. a nearly barrier-free internal market by the end of the 1980s. Most impressive on the economic front has been the development of a common oil policy, cooperation on domestic and regional economic development programs, and the establishment of the Gulf Investment Bank. While the GCC has done well at fostering the free movement of goods and services between member states, it has had more limited success in achieving the free movement of people because of the variations in policies on foreign labor and variations in capital because of different approaches to investment law. As with the EU, the GCC has found it difficult to establish common foreign and defense policies. In the EU, this difficulty can be attributed both to the desire to retain sovereignty among members and to distinctly different political and economic interests. In the Gulf; the difficulties also reflect individual state's desire to retain control over defense policy (this is particularly true of Saudi Arabia) (Bruce, 1996).
© European Journal of Scientific Research, Vol 7, No 5, 2005 However, in the GCG, unlike the EU, the tensions between members more often relate to territorial disputes and to different orientations towards regional relations with. neighboring states. While the EU states have in recent years faced challenges related to economic recession and the potential absorption of the new "transition economies" of Eastern Europe, the GCC states have little concern related to expansion. The GCC states also face a number of challenges related to domestic stability; including rising Islamic fundamentalism; regional terrorist activity, and demographic pressures. Nevertheless, the GCC can be considered a success story for its ability to sustain coordination among member states, mainly in the economic field. CONCLUSION The EU and GCC are both important integration vehicles for peace and security; more so the former than the later. Yet, I personally believe that complete integration will be more difficult to attain with the GCC because of lack of democracy, civil society institutions and independent judiciary in these countries. As indicated earlier, integration is generally defined as a process by which political actors in several distinct national units are persuaded to shift their loyalties, expectations and political activities towards a new center whose institutions demand jurisdiction over preexisting national states. The EU is simply a model example of this definition: Yet the GCC lacks the necessary requirements for true political and social integration - the real power remains in the hands of the leadership and the rulers with very-few existing supra national institutions. I think the GCC was only intended to be a "coordination" entity as stated in its mandate. Yet, stemming from a region that has been overtaken by conflicts, the GCC, with its limitations, could be considered a success story - but definitely falls short of being a complete model for integration. 31
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