The Arab Gulf Alliance Is On The Verge Of Breaking Up And Threatening Some Of The World's Largest Oil Fields

Fractures In Arab Gulf Alliance A Greater Threat To Oil Security Than Islamic State -- Andrew Critchlow, The Telegraph

Break up of the Gulf Co-operation Council could threaten world's largest oil fields as Saudi Arabia and Qatar lock horns over alleged support for Islamists.

In 1981 six Arab monarchies, which today control about a fifth of the world’s oil supply, formed the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).

As the war between Iraq and Iran intensified, the Sunni Arab sheikhdoms of the Gulf peninsula - Saudi Arabia, Oman, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar - originally came together in theory to form a Middle Eastern version of the European Union. Although the group has no formal political charter like the EU, it still provides the only official forum where all six leaders of these oil-rich countries can sit down together to debate and agree on mutually beneficial policies in the region.

But the rise of Islamic extremism across the Middle East, America’s growing willingness to deal with Iran and lingering leadership succession issues amongst member states are now unpicking the ties that have bound the GCC together in a tectonic shift that could have profound implications for the security of the world’s largest oil fields.

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My Comment: After living for decades under a certain political status quo .... the old despots and alliances are dying away. With groups like ISIS on the horizon and gathering strength .... one can only wonder (and worry) on what will be coming out of this mess.