Abstract:
The spirit behind the Arab Uprisings in the Middle East was
neither an inter-state balance of power rivalry nor was it a
movement coloured by religious ideology. It was a struggle by
the disgruntled masses at the domestic level who wanted
socio-economic and political freedom. Given the huge
financial space available, the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) states have managed to withhold the onslaught of the
Arab Spring movements, yet their threat perceptions have also
changed significantly. However, their strategy of securitisation
and sectarianisation of political issues is not a viable nor
sustainable option for the future.
