The GCC Is Rewriting the Script on Global Diplomacy

While once relegated to strategic hedges and security dependence on major powers, GCC states are now actively shaping a new narrative; one rooted in pluralistic engagement, mediation, and global partnership.

From Security Reliance to Mediation Leadership

Historically, Gulf states leaned on the United States for security guarantees. The June 2025 missile strike on Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base highlighted the limitations of this reliance, and underscored an urgent need for strategic diversification. In response, GCC leaders have pivoted toward mediation as a diplomatic instrument, asserting their agency not through military strength but through facilitating resolution in conflicts beyond their immediate neighborhood.

This shift is embodied by Qatar’s role in brokering a detainee exchange between the U.S. and Afghanistan in early 2025—an outcome welcomed by GCC Secretary‑General Jasem Al Budaiwi as emblematic of Gulf diplomacy’s constructive and principled engagement on the global stage . Likewise, the GCC has reaffirmed its mediation mandate before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which emphasizes respect for human dignity, international norms, and rights-based conflict resolution—especially regarding the Palestinian crisis and the broader Middle East peace process .

Building Partnerships Beyond the Gulf

Trade, investment, and multilateral summits underscore the GCC’s outward‑looking strategy. Through targeted trade pacts such as CEPAs with India, Indonesia, and Türkiye, the United Arab Emiriates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia are reinventing themselves as deal‑makers whose agility and pragmatism contrast sharply with slow, bureaucratic global negotiations. GCC‑UK free trade agreement talks advanced further in mid‑2025, signaling a deepening commercial and strategic alignment with Western partners.

Meanwhile, GCC engagement with Central Asia—via the 2024 Strategic Dialogue and the May 2025 summit in Samarkand—heralds a new model of bridging economic corridors, digital infrastructure, energy cooperation, and logistics ties across Eurasia. Such outreach demonstrates the GCC’s ambition to act as an investment conduit and diplomatic interlocutor across diverse regions.

Cultural Diplomacy: Smart Power as Strategic Currency

Global diplomacy today embraces narratives and symbols. GCC states are mastering this dynamic—investing in cultural platforms that resonate far beyond the region. Institutions such as Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Red Sea Film Festival, AlUla’s cultural renaissance, and major art fairs have propelled GCC cultural smart power to global prominence. This cultural diplomacy conveys an inspirational story about the Gulf—innovative, creative, inclusive—and positions it as a hub of global artistic exchange.

Advancing Global Governance and Innovation Diplomacy

The World Economic Forum has spotlighted the GCC’s role in accelerating global cooperation across five key vectors: trade and capital flows, innovation ecosystems, climate and clean energy, health tech, and peace/security diplomacy. In each domain, GCC countries are forging partnerships—from Saudi Arabia’s green‑hydrogen and tree‑planting campaigns to the UAE’s AI and fintech initiatives, and Qatar’s genome research collaborations. These efforts help GCC countries define themselves as forward‑thinking contributors to global public goods.

Notably, GCC advocacy for reforming international financial institutions—championing greater inclusion for emerging markets—and Gulf sovereign wealth funds’ high-impact investments across Africa and Asia reflect the region’s intent to shape global economic norms from within .

Calibrating Relations with the Great Powers

The GCC’s global diplomacy is distinguished by a balance between historic Western ties and deepening engagement with non‑Western powers. As global geopolitics becomes multi-polar, Gulf states have introduced China, Russia, and others into their strategic calculus. This re-calibration is evident in the Saudi and UAE's investments in U.S. markets and infrastructure, while simultaneously maintaining robust trade and diplomatic ties with Beijing and Moscow. Leaders believe they can navigate these partnerships more deftly than others—acting as facilitators between global powers while maintaining their sovereignty .

Challenges and the Road Ahead

Despite meaningful progress, the GCC’s new diplomacy narrative faces tests. Recent crises—such as missile strikes across the Gulf—remind all how swiftly regional trust and stability can be undermined, bringing forth questions about the effectiveness of emerging diplomatic tools. Additionally, the dual pressures of great‑power competition require Gulf leaders to continuously calibrate relations without becoming proxies or alienating long-standing partners.

Moreover, cultural diplomacy and investment‑led influence must be matched by social governance progress internally. Critics point to limited progress on personal rights and inclusiveness; as the GCC seeks recognition on the world stage, expectations around governance and rights will grow.

Conclusion

By marshaling mediation initiatives, forging regional and extra‑regional trade and investment links, and re-imagining cultural soft power, the GCC is authoring a new story in global diplomacy—one grounded in pragmatism, partnership, and global responsibility. This narrative positions the Gulf not merely as a beneficiary of global order, but as its proactive custodian in many domains—from conflict resolution to innovation collaboration.

Over the coming years, how successfully Gulf states navigate the interplay between autonomy and alliances, stability and reform, security and outreach, will determine whether this narrative may become a durable cornerstone of global diplomacy—not a footnote for aspiration.

References

1. World Economic Forum, “5 ways the GCC is supporting global cooperation efforts”

2. Stimson Center analysis of GCC engagement with Taliban and broader diplomacy