Moving beyond the stage of cooperation to the stage of union so that the Gulf Cooperation Council countries form a single entity, speeding up the process of reform, achieving greater participation of all citizens and consolidating national unity based on equality of all citizens, men and women, before the law and in rights and duties, is some of what was featured in the Riyadh Declaration that was issued following the recent 32nd Gulf Summit. It thus deserves to be tackled in the hope of seeing it achieved fast, far away from governmental bureaucracy and the officials' stalling that was seen in the Gulf hallways throughout more than 30 years. King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz's call for the accomplishment of the dream of unity emerged at an important phase in modern Arab history, in light of the Arab spring revolutions and the redrafting of the political and social structures in some states of the region. This consequently requires the formation of a Gulf confederacy to face the challenges and conflicts in the region. As for what was said regarding the necessity of speeding up the process of progress and comprehensive reform within the Council, it features clear recognition by the Gulf leaders of the fact that reform has been extremely slow in the GCC, and that the reformatory process requires equality between the citizens, whether men or women, while allowing everyone to participate in order to open the horizon toward the future and uphold security and stability. This recognition should be registered in their favor, although it came late. In my last article headlined “The Riyadh Summit and the Arab Spring,” I hoped the Gulf officials would spare us - the Gulf populations - from the repetition of the clichés and the expressions which usually accompany all the Gulf and Arab summits, namely the terms “exceptional summit” and the “highly important circumstances.” Indeed, the history of the GCC states, their geography, strategic and economic status and the reality of the Arab world and the Middle East region in general, require positions and decisions meeting the aspirations and ambitions of the Gulf populations and going in line with the changes and transformations witnessed in the region, far away from the official bureaucracy that is rendering all the summits similar and identical. I am talking about the summits which usually start with handshakes, whose inaugural sessions feature smiles to the camera lenses and which end with press statements that do not add anything new, except for additional years of waiting. During the Riyadh summit, the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques revived the dreams of the Gulf populations - knowing that he usually avoids long speeches and expresses reality in the shortest way - in the hope that the dream would soon become a reality. There is no doubt that this move toward unity is the best option for the Gulf countries and that it sheds light on the future of the region. However, it necessitates the drafting of unified and more cohesive positions on the official and popular levels, along with a move toward a confederacy that would enhance the structures, confront the challenges and strengthen the domestic arena, by granting rights, allowing the citizens' participation in the decision, but also allowing them to enjoy equality and social justice. More than three decades have gone by since the launching of cooperation, and this is enough to lead the Gulf states toward the construction of a powerful Gulf confederacy capable of overcoming the difficulties and challenges facing them. What the council achieved in terms of joint actions – despite the slow implementation, the difficulty of concord and the divergence witnessed at times – could constitute a platform for the move toward the stage of unity and one citizenship, especially since the Gulf populations enjoys a consistent culture at the level of their language, religion, habits, customs, history and geography. The majority agrees over the fact that the nature of the current political circumstances, the security challenges and the necessity of restoring the balance of power in the region, require the relations between the GCC states to exceed the stage of cooperation. This dictates the engagement in a confederacy, even exceeding what was achieved between the European Union states. What is certain is that the current situation in the region and the complications affecting international relations cannot tolerate the postponement of the rightful domestic files, the achievement of the aspirations and ambitions of the Gulf populations, securing their participation in the decisions and granting them the right to carry out this participation, before tending to foreign relations. The first step would be seen by fixing the domestic problems and bridging any internal gaps to face the troubled foreign arenas, in order to uphold unity and the national fabric. [email protected] twitter | @JameelTheyabi
