Gulf state assistance to conflict-affected environments

Donors from particular Gulf states emerged as significant sponsors of mid-conflict and post-conflict humanitarian interventions during the Bosnian conflict of the mid-1990s and have grown increasingly visible, particularly during the past decade. This paper addresses the objectives underlying Gulf states’ contributions in conflict-affected environments, the tangible forms which Gulf assistance takes and the impact it has had both on war-torn contexts and on global conventions related to donorship. The authors conclude that Gulf state aid has been motivated by religiously rooted principles of charitable giving which have frequently been moulded according to, in particular, the national political objectives of donor countries. However, rather than being a solely strategic undertaking, Gulf state donorship also reflects principled positions related to human security, cultural integrity and state sovereignty. This study shows that there is a possibility of strengthening these ‘emerging’ donors’ activities while also applying their values and, at times, innovative practices to the so-called ‘traditional’ donors of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).