A Gulf non-aggression pact could be the path forward

Proposing a non-aggression pact against the backdrop of regional hostilities may seem premature.

What happened

Proposing a non-aggression pact against the backdrop of regional hostilities may seem premature. Yet agreements to stop war matter most when distrust is the deepest. The key question is whether regional governments can agree on rules that create their disagreements less destructive.

In a recent lecture at Cambridge University in the UK, Oman's Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, pressed a non-aggression pact among all eight Gulf littoral states: the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council along with Iraq and Iran. He described it as the essential prerequisite for an inclusive regional security architecture.

The bottom line

Taken together, the developments around a Gulf non-aggression pact could be the path forward point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.