What Does Jordan's Bid for GCC Membership Imply for the Arab Spring?

Abstract

What would Jordan’s membership in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) mean? There has been a great deal of excitement and anticipation surrounding the prospect – and a lot of speculation about the implications. In May 2012 there were reports that Jordan was being considered for membership – after a five year waiting period. Ostensibly, the purpose of the waiting period is to prepare Jordan economically for membership, a process reminiscent of that for aspirant nations preparing for EU membership. The members of the GCC pledged financial support over the period to assist Jordan in its bid for membership. A year later, in May 2012, the leaders of the six GCC states, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Kuwait, met to discuss creating a closer federal unit among them. The union would result in close cooperation and coordination in defense and security policies and a $1.4 trillion economic zone with a population of over 42 million. However, no mention was made of including Jordan in this union, thus reigniting the discussion of the reasons behind the impetus for the GCC to extend membership to Jordan.