Oman weighs costs of bailout from Gulf neighbors

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“The GCC as a multilateral organization has stopped to function effectively since 2017,” said Andreas Krieg, assistant professor at King’s College London. “Multilateralism in the Gulf has been replaced with unilateralism and bilateralism,” Krieg told Al-Monitor.

In an increasingly polarized Gulf region, some predict self-interest could take over regional unity. Krieg believes Oman’s direct GCC neighbors would be the priciest lenders.

“The UAE has been displeased with Oman's neutral role in the Qatar crisis and thought it could sway the new sultan to change sides,” Krieg commented. According to Reuters, in 2017 a regionwide hacking program reportedly linked to the UAE targeted activists, officials and diplomats, including Oman’s head of foreign affairs.

Krieg said Oman's allowing Qatar to bypass the UAE’s Jebel Ali Port — the largest port in the Middle East — makes the blockade “less effective.” Bilateral trade between Oman and Qatar tripled from 2016 to 2018

Period	29 Jun 2020
Held at	Al Monitor, United States