It is as if it were the GCC's fate to endure with a fire in proximity, or one that is getting closer. In fact, the GCC was established one year after the Iraqi-Iranian war, which was a great one by regional standards. It had to later face the fire that infiltrated itself into it when Saddam Hussein's regime committed the sin of invading Kuwait. The GCC countries were unable to be lenient, so they took hard, even painful, decisions that contributed to restore Kuwait, where the Gulf summit is taking place today. The GCC also had to endure with the sin that was committed by the George Bush administration the day it uprooted Saddam Hussein's regime. It is no secret that many Gulf countries have made, either publically or secretly, great efforts to avoid Iraq going through the pains of occupation and the dangers of disintegration. It can be said that America, which was bloodied by the 9/11 attacks, refused to listen to the reasonable Gulf voices that foresaw the extent of the looming disaster. Then the GCC countries had to live with the blatant flaw in the balance of forces after the Iraqi side was eliminated from the Iranian-Iraqi-Turkish triangle. The absence of the Arab side from that triangle has triggered latent desires and dreams that were prevented from flowing into the region by the Iraqi wall. Consequently, the GCC countries are trying to live with the crisis resulting from the Iranian nuclear program and the West's doubts regarding its peaceful nature. It is no secret that the region's countries object to Iran having nuclear weapons, especially if Tehran continues with its program that aims to hold cards in several of these countries. It is as if it were the fate of the GCC countries to live with a neighboring fire that warns against instability and going beyond international borders. The fire burning in Yemen is a source of concern. Targeting the unity of Yemen could trigger dangers that are no less threatening than the hazardous radiations emitted from Iraq the day it fell prey to the conflict. It seems evident that there are those who seek to ‘Afghanize' Yemen, with the establishment on its territories of mini-states with conflicting allegiances and loyalties, and whose function is to export the fire of strife to the region. It is also evident for the GCC leaders to support the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in determinedly facing the attempts to infiltrate its land and violate its sovereignty. Many scenarios resulted from the birth of the GCC, which was based on the harmony among the member states. Some considered that the Club of the Wealthy chose a form of isolation and stayed away from the Arab and Islamic concerns. However, experience showed how wrong these calculations are. The GCC countries used their economic, political, Arab, Islamic, and international weight to support the Palestinian cause, as well as rebuilding efforts in many Arab and Islamic countries. Rarely has regional cooperation in all its forms succeeded in ensuring continuity, despite the resounding close explosions and neighboring fire. In parallel to the task of containing the fire and striving to put it out, the GCC has made progress on the path of electricity connection, railways, unified currency, and strengthened economic cooperation among its members. The GCC's fate is to be a force of stability in a region that has known for the past decades resounding explosions and traveling fires. The need for an effective GCC is as important as when it was at the moment of its inception, if not more.
