GCC

The Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (), originally (and still colloquially) known as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, ), is a regional intergovernmental political and economic union consisting of all Arab states of the Persian Gulf, except for Iraq. Its member states are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Amidst the Bahraini uprising, Saudi Arabia and the UAE sent ground troops to Bahrain in order to quell Bahraini protests. Kuwait and Oman refrained from sending troops. In December 2011, Saudi Arabia proposed that the GCC form a confederation. Objections have been raised against the proposal by the other countries. There have been discussions regarding the future membership of Jordan, Morocco, and Yemen. During a two day summit on 10 December 2013, talks on the formation of a “Gulf Union” topped the agenda. On 12 August 2014 Bahrain’s prime minister, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, showed renewed interest in the establishment of a gulf union. He has stated that current events in the region highlighted the importance of the proposal.