The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is no longer restricted to the countries of the Gulf. It has overcome its geographical dimension and gone beyond the borders of this patch of land to become an institution on the level of unions that polarize interest. Similarly, the European Union used to include a few countries that had opened up to each other in terms of political cooperation and economic directions, to later become closer to the union of an entire continent, stretching east towards Asia. The European Union set the standards for membership in it only on the basis of universal values of freedom and the respect of human rights, as well as on that of corresponding interests. Countries that aspire to join it as members can still cross the distance toward the hallmarks of advancement to become full partners. Thus the Gulf Cooperation Council opening up to Morocco and Jordan will not be the end, but rather the beginning of the interaction of roles played and commitments made, and of deepened ties between its member-countries. And if one were to compare it to the European experience, which reached its peak in enacting the unified currency, it is taking quick steps towards toning down its major objectives, which are not unconnected to the central issues of the Arab World. The only experience that has stood fast in times of war as in times of peace is that of the shared commitments of the GCC countries, having arisen on the background of the realities of the Gulf, and having grown under the conditions of gradual progression, realism and rationality. It has thus been a shining model, as opposed to the collapse of political alliances that were established on the basis of whims or of struggles for leadership. Such a development has allowed the Gulf countries to make their voices heard at the regional and international levels. They have thus coupled their economic growth with a natural and realistic tendency towards coordination, despite the stormy clouds that have darkened their skies at certain times. Similar experiments, such as in the Arab Maghreb region, have failed to form coalitions that would be equivalent to that of the Gulf. Indeed, the dream of the Arab Maghreb has faded away amidst the rubble of political disputes, and the people of the Maghreb have continued to aspire to duplicating an improved copy of the GCC. Thus this initiative has come at the right time, asserting that the two kingdoms of Morocco and Jordan could benefit from such an innovation with their historical characteristics, this being the first time the GCC opens up to non-Gulf partners. Local characteristics were not imposed as obstacles, and geography alone no longer determines membership to political and economic coalitions. Indeed, distances have shrunk considerably, with the overwhelming spread of globalization, the technological revolution and the impact of the tools of freely shared information. And regardless of the character the membership of Morocco and Jordan in the GCC will take on, in the form of an open political and economic partnership, its impact at both the regional and Arab levels will be a positive one. One the one hand, this is because the GCC is headed towards broadening its political field, by allowing new members to join according to standards and preferential conditions based on the correspondence of choices and objectives. On the other, non-Gulf countries are now able to join in this experiment and engage in its perspectives, which have always adhered to bringing security, stability and advancement – which in itself represents a transformation in the course of inter-Arab relations, regardless of the necessities that have dictated such openness. In the past, the countries of the Gulf had on the background of the Second Iraq War tried to establish a strategic alliance with their two Arab partners, Syria and Egypt. And the security aspect was one of the most prominent goals that had imposed preoccupation with the security of the Gulf countries and its ramifications. This took place during a troubled time of war. Today, on the other hand, inviting Morocco and Jordan to join the GCC comes amidst the effective and potential effects of the development of events in the Gulf and Arab regions. And it seems that the choice of Morocco, in spite of the great distance, provides further indication of the soundness of taking such a direction, which puts an end to the stereotype of water Arabs and oil Arabs. Evidently, the GCC countries have paid heed to the fact that some threats and difficulties do not arise on their own, but rather from the persistence of differences between the constituents of Arab societies. Indeed, this has appeared prominently in the uprisings of the Arab Spring, which have turned the concern for growth and the absence of democracy and of peaceful alternation of power into a central frame of reference. It has therefore negated the notion of funding for aid and of support from beyond the seas, through donors from Europe and the West in general. Matters are now headed in the direction of assistance in growth through plans similar to the famous ones adopted by the Americans and the Europeans to restore the old continent in the post-World War period. Such a development indicates long-term vision. And while players from outside of the Arab World are trying to take to the forefront by giving advice and delving into purely Arab issues, the Gulf Arabs have chosen a calm and sober approach in formulating the features of preoccupation with the situation of the Arab factor – this time not by focusing on conciliating and overcoming disagreements, but by finding the way to growth that would ensure stability and opening up new horizons. Such a major change will have a powerful impact, not just at the level of Morocco and Jordan, but in a broader direction in proportion to the success of the experiment.
