When the League of Arab States gathered in Bahrain for the Council’s 33rd Regular Session, the unanimous adoption of the Bahrain Declaration offered a glimmer of hope in a region snared in a series of crises that are destroying lives, depleting resources and weakening decades of confidence building. This is because the Declaration intends to move the debate in a different direction—one that reconfigures the region and makes space for the development of workable frameworks of peaceful coexistence as the main driver to ending decades’ old conflicts including the seemingly forever Israel-Palestine war.
The Bahrain Declaration is, in its essence, a reflection of how Bahrain sees the world: a place where people of a diversity of backgrounds and beliefs can live in peace and harmony with each other. It is also an important additive for the Gulf region as all six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC — Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) have clearly decided on a development path that implies investing national wealth and policy energies in constructing shareholder societies that attract the best and brightest from around the world to work together towards a common good. This is why so many internationals find their homes in the GCC, because the types of societies that are emerging are inclusive, safe and prosperous.
Think about the wave of smart cities that have begun to dot the deserts of Arabia, or the integrated railroads, motorways and canals, enhanced connectivity and sustainability projects and the raw investments derived from oil and gas but shaping the future of a region that will not be defined by hydrocarbons. And, the GCC is leading the way in terms of setting the global agenda on a variety of fronts. For instance, the COP28 in Dubai laid out ambitious goals for carbon neutrality while Saudi Arabia plays host to the World Economic Forum (Davos in the Desert) and Oman and Qatar continue their efforts to resolve a host of international tensions. Bahrain is a leader in fintech (and other contemporary financial issues, including crypto) while the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development set the solidarity principal in motion already in 1961—as it sought to use its wealth to benefit others.
The culture of the GCC countries is open and inclusive. While many look at the unfolding violence in the Middle East through the prism of tribal war, retribution, repression and other related discourses, the countries of the GCC offer a future that is not wholly defined by the past but one that learns from mistakes and seeks to build a new and better world. They say that there is no time like the present. The GCC is urgently trying to forge a future that is not moored to the present but seeks to create a new reality; one where each person is valued and protected no matter their ethno-religious background. Many people are preparing for the day after the war in Gaza ends. It is time to think about the day after that. The GCC countries already have an eye on the next decade and are plotting a course that can benefit everyone. It is time to follow suit and place peaceful coexistence above all else.