The Gulf Cooperation Council in Light of International Relations Theory *

This research attempts to supplement some of the traditional explanations for the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council. In this regard, this study, first, expose very briefly the connection between the analysis of contemporary regionalism and three major theoretical currents in the study of international relations. Second, it describes the organization, the process by which it came about, its organizational structure and what makes it different from other subregional groupings in the Arab world. Finally, this paper makes some general considerations on the usefulness of culturalist explanations in the fields of alliance theory and security studies. Through these observations, this research concludes that explanations based on identity can supplement strategic explanations based on realist theories.