Gulf security—the war and its aftermath

Abstract

Gulf security with its geo‐strategic/political implications, has long been as concern of the West, and one complicated by the regional divisions between political and ethnic factions. In this article, Sir Alan Munro outlines the different threads and tensions prevalent in the Gulf before and after the Gulf War, and high‐light the need for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with Western help, to provide a focus for regional security based both on diplomatic measures and military balance in the face of a belligerent Saddam Hussen and a rapidly rearming Iran.