Common maritime security policy in the GCC: revisiting the challenges in the wake of the Red Sea crisis

The regionalization of the October 2023 conflict as a result of the Houthi attacks on commercial shipping at the entrance to the Red Sea created global ramifications, resulting in international intervention. While the crisis was also a reminder of the importance of maritime security to the GCC countries, they have neither adopted a collective response nor joined the international coalition. They have opted for unilateral responses to protect their interests. This was conspicuous, since securing Sea Lines of Communication (SLOCs) in the vicinity of the Arabian peninsula remains essential to the security and global economic engagement of the GCC states. This article argues that the lack of a collective response by the GCC states to the maritime security dilemmas in the Red Sea partially indicates divergent views on the crisis, and reflects the current security orientation of each. More to the point, at the root of their ad hoc and unilateral responses lies the long-standing inability to devise a common maritime security strategy. Thus, the paper studies five major factors that present major impediments to the adoption of a common maritime security policy at the GCC level.