Keeping It Together: A Historical Approach to Resolving Stresses and Strains Within the Peninsula Shield Force

The modality and method of Arab tribal warfare have directly impacted the history of the Peninsula Shield Force and its operation as a sub-multinational organization of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The stresses and strains within the force have been driven by internal social forces rather than external factors, although American policy has helped exacerbate them. This article reviews the historical tensions and their linkages to past Arab tribal warfare and explores how the new U.S. administration can work to keep the Peninsula Shield Force together, rather than pulling it apart by treating it like NATO or other European or Western multinational organizations.