The second Abu Dhabi Strategic Debate ended on Monday with several outcomes and conclusions that the Gulf region has become strategically important as it has seen considerable unrests in its surroundings.

The region appeared in wars and conflicts in Syria Libya and Yemen besides the chaos which marred the Iraqi scene since years needless to say the expansion of the dreadful Daesh terrorist organization without neglecting the foreign military interventions namely Iranian and Russian in Syria.

According to Dr. Ebtisam Al Ketbi president of Emirates Policy Centre EPC as many as 300 policy makers experts and academicians from 40 countries took part in the two-day forum which endeavoured to approach the geopolitical changes that affected the power distribution powers in the world and the changes of the world order global threats and perils as well as the Middle East including the Gulf region. The comments of the participants reviewed 70 study papers in a discussing session.

The first session was designated to the Gulf region in the world the changeable regional environment surrounding the GCC. It also tackled the shift in the US strategy towards the region. In this context the session concluded that the Saudi-led operation in Yemen and effective participation of UAE has reflected a shift in the GCC strategic mindset and conviction on the importance of the need to self-independence to safeguard the security and stability of the region and interests of its member states.

The session also concluded that the GCC lacks a unified strategy which is agreed upon by the member countries to respond to the challenges and the ensuing threats and which appeared in how to deal with the war in Yemen the Iranian threat and the peril of the political Islam.

Risks and challenges in the troubled region have boosted the conviction of the decision makers in UAE with the necessity to build a model of power in its comprehensive concept to protect the development model of the country and move from dealing with challenges from the position of reaction to proactively prepare for the likely potentially dangers and threats.

Some believe that the origin of the threats the six-nation Arab Gulf countries are facing stemmed from hotspots of regional conflicts Iran and the terror groups and that require the GCC states to develop their policies and existing security system to the likelihood of the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Nevertheless the GCC has joint defense pact and the Peninsula Shield Forces they are ineffective.

These arrangements according to US views will make dealing of US with the region more effective and easy.

The Middle East region in general and the Gulf region in particular will remain important for the US policy and interests.

The debate calls on US to stop following the existing policy of counter-reaction and take late decisions regarding the GCC and regional affairs.

The second session focused on the internal shifts at countries that witnessed the Arab spring revolutions like Syria Iraq Libya Yemen and Egypt.

Egypt failed to cross to safety so far. There are fears that Egypt might see a third revolution unless the major problems the country has been suffering from such as economic downturn unemployment public services education and health were resolved.

The third session spot light on the dynamics of regional leverages of Iran and Turkey Arab-Israeli conflict and Iran's regime behaviour after concluding a recent nuclear deal with the world powers.

Though Iran stepped in the Syrian conflict such intervention proved that Iran has limited capabilities which made it seek Russian interference to save Assad's regime from collapse.

Some believe that any closed-door security arrangements made by the GCC countries only like the NATO alliance may provoke Iran and escalate the enmity with the latter and it is better to boost confidence between the GCC countries from on hand and Iran from the other.

All GCC countries fear from Iran and its nuclear programme and believe that it (Iran) would possess a nuclear weapon at the end and if Iran did not turn from a revolutionary country to a state one the GCC conflict with Iran is expected to continue.

The last session focused on the danger of rising terrorism and sectarianism in the region and the world and how they affect the regional and international policy.