The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Is Starting To Flex It's Military Muscle Against Iran

Standing Up to Iran: Gulf Alliance Flexes Its Muscles -- Time Magazine

Pilots winging over raging Libyan battlefields in Mirage and F-16 fighter jets. A convoy of troops and tanks rumbling to the aid of an embattled partner. Defiant words for a regional bully bent on meddling in domestic affairs.

These are just some of the hallmarks of the new-look Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — the bloc of six Arab nations that is shedding its image as a somnolent, oil-rich cartel and propelling itself forward in the role of hands-on military campaigner in the uprisings that are reshaping the region. It has already intervened — mainly with member Saudi Arabia's troops — in the rebellion in GCC compatriot Bahrain. This is the GCC 2.0 and the world, and most especially Iran, is watching.

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RIYADH ARRIVAL - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates talks with Saudi Arabian Prince Khalid bin Sultan after arriving at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 6, 2011. DOD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Jerry Morrison

More News On Saudi Arabia/The Gulf States Military Alliance

Gulf between Arab-Iran rivals grows stormy -- AP

Gates, Saudi King Discuss Defense Relationship -- U.S. Department of Defense
US defence chief, Saudi king to discuss Mideast unrest -- Reuters
US defence secretary holds talks with Saudi king -- AFP
Gates In Saudi Arabia For Key Military Talks -- RTT News
US Defense Chief in Saudi Arabia to Discuss Mideast Unrest -- Voice of America
US Defence Secretary in Saudi Arabia for talks on uprisings -- M&C
Gates to discuss Arab upheaval with Saudi king -- MSNBC/AP
Gates in Saudi Arabia for talks with king -- UPI
Gates arrives in Saudi Arabia for delayed meeting with king -- Stars And Stripes

Effective leader of Arab world -- Gulf News (opinion)
The Gulf: The long and the short of it -- Gulf News (opinion)

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Member States