Prof.Bulent ARAS
Işık University, Member of the University, TURKEY
The Middle East is now a changing geography, subject to direct U.S. interference through the Afghan and Iraqi invasions and through political attempts to transform the region socially, politically and economically. Calls for reform and renovation have reached an unprecedented level. Indeed, there is a high degree of desire and hope for good governance, democracy and human rights in Middle Eastern societies. The Gulf region is not independent from the problems of the wider Middle East; it is a participant in these critical developments. Relations between Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are very positive, avoiding the problems associated with competing agendas. The constructive nature of these relations is encouraging, considering the problems these countries are facing in their immediate neighborhood.
