The US Military Bases in the Gulf Cooperation Council States: Dynamics of Readjustment

Abstract

Abstract:Since the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the US military bases in the GCC states have evolved functionally from the dual containment of Iran and Iraq to the consolidation of its predominance in the Gulf region. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the US readjustment of its military bases in the GCC states features two attributes. First, the task of the bases has transformed from fighting the Iraq War to the more complex and enduring tasks of maintaining the Gulf security, countering terrorists and containing Iran. Second, the major military base deployment has shifted from Saudi Arabia to Qatar, Bahrain and other GCC states, so a multi-faceted security mechanism under the US leadership has taken shape, which has overshadowed the Iranian-proposed collective security appeal. In Obama?s presidency, the deployment of the US military bases in the GCC states has revealed five new and distinct features, i.e. the bases are extending geographically, diminishing in size, increasingly approaching the potential enemies, strong in mobility and being