Wojciech Grabowski 8. Te Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf: A Study of Arab Regionalism and Integration Abstract: Te Middle East is perceived by most IR researchers and analysts as a region where processes of integration have stalled. Te project of integration between six Arab Gulf states resulted in the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 1981. Tis could have provided a strong foundation for integrationist processes in this region. However, the process of strengthening the Gulf system has been weakened by internal and external threats that challenge this project such as conficts, civil wars and political tensions. Te aim of the article is to analyze the status of Gulf states’ integration based on classic integration concepts and relate it to the GCC Charter. Tis leads to the conclusion that there is a vital gap between the theory of integration and GCC Charter objectives. Keywords: Persian Gulf, Gulf Cooperation Council, GCC, regionalism, integration Introduction Regionalism projects frst appeared in the Middle East before the process of European integration had begun. Te frst regional organization in the Middle East – the League of Arab States (Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabīyah, LAS) was formed in Cairo on March 22, 1945 while the frst European Community, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), was established in Paris on April 18, 1951. However, the LAS and other regional organizations in the Middle East 1 have faced difculties in fnding a way to reach the basic goal of regionalism – integration. One of the basic obstacles in uniting Arab states was and remains the particular national interests as well as permanent rivalry and confict in the region of the Middle East. As a consequence of the inability to integrate states in 1 Transregional organizations: Islamic Cooperation Organization, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Central Treaty Organization (Baghdad Pact) European Neighborhood Policy; Regional Organizations: Arab Maghreb Union, Gulf Cooperation Council, Council of Arab Economic Unity; Regional successful projects: United Arab Emirates, Unifcation of Yemen; Regional, unsuccessful projects: United Arab Republic, Federation of Arab Republics, Arab Cooperation Council, Damascus Declaration 1991.