The GCC’s Unsettled Policy for Economic Integration*

This study examines the sources of fatigue in the economic integration of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) since 2010. It argues that the progressive development of integration that has taken place in the decades prior to the 2011 Arab uprisings has been derailed by a number of congenital and emerging factors that decelerated its maturity. The study employs a descriptive analytical approach to examine the institutional deficiencies, foreign policy divergence, and domestic policy integration, while applying a gravity model to measure the intensity of intra-regional trade, hence the depth of GCC integration. If the GCC is to deepen its integration process, it must address longstanding and emerging challenges, including national sovereignty, poor foreign and security policy coordination, and low intra-regional trade that persist today.