Great Power Competition in the Gulf

As global power dynamics shift away from unipolarity toward a more decentered international order, the Gulf is emerging as an increasingly important arena of strategic competition. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states are navigating this environment through interest-based partnerships, maintaining ties with global powers while prioritising regional stability and economic development. This issue brief examines how Gulf leaders are responding to evolving great-power dynamics and why stability and de-escalation remain central to their regional agenda. The publication is a result of a collaboration between KAS’s Regional Programme Gulf States and the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative.