The Gulf Cooperation Council: A model of a regional international regime

Neorealism's lack of attention to minor states in the international system stimulated this study. This study is an attempt to incorporate minor states into the theory of the international system. In order to achieve this objective, a model was developed to study international regimes. Cooperation via the establishment of international regimes was used to depict the impact of minor states in the international system. The Gulf Cooperation Council of the Arabian Gulf states was used as a case study to operationalize the developed model.;The systemic factors of the model's background conditions suggested the possibility of incorporating minor states into that of the international system, and the possibility of integration between realism and liberalism. The four components of the international system proposed by this study (structure, systemic structural and nonstructural processes, issue-specific areas, identity) could be the first step toward such integration.;The model's background conditions stress the interaction of and exposure to similar experiences. The acquisition of structural status is not the only criterion for playing a role and enjoying status in the systemic processes and issue-specific areas of the international system. Non-structural status, even though it affects performance, does not rule out the function of minor states in systemic processes and issue-specific areas.;The GCC, as a regime of common interests and aversion, facilitated the making of many cooperative agreements. However, the GCC is to date unable to implement unified policies which are the mechanism of effective interaction with the international system. The GCC states were unable to exercise relational or meta behavior in relation to the international system. This status warrants neorealism's lack of attention to minor states. However, in stressing the importance of issue-areas and systemic processes, minor states may promote the ability to exercise power relations in issue-specific interactions that transpire within the international system. This objective would be attainable if they were able to introduce and manage successful internal structural changes.