Bahrain FM: GCC Troops to Remain Indefinitely http://news.antiwar.com/2011/04/18/bahrain-fm-gcc-troops-to-remain-indefinitely/

According to Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, the 1,500 troops from the GCC member nations will not be leaving the nation any time soon. Khalifa insisted that the troops would remain until officials believed Iran did not pose a threat.The comment about Iran is a reference to Bahraini officials’ repeated assertions that the pro-democracy protests in the nation, which at one point involved nearly a quarter of the nation’s population taking to the streets demanding reforms, is a “foreign plot.” Officials in the Sunni-ruled kingdom have regularly blamed Iran for popular unrest, which has largely been among the nation’s Shi’ite majority.The Saudi-led GCC troops invaded in mid-March, and the regime declared martial law on March 15. Over the course of the past month, the troops have violently crushed the public protests, and the streets are largely quiet. 

[also see>King Hamad: Iran has no role in Bahrain unrest http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=238362    

THE UNITED STATES AND THE GULF ARAB STATES: Interview with Adam Hanieh http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/hanieh180411.html  The GCC really is the core of capitalism in the Middle East. There's also CENTCOM, the forward command headquarters of CENTCOM, located in Qatar. It's also the linkage with the broader world market. And US foreign policy -- not just the United States; Europe as well and other states -- really see their relationship with the broader Middle East through the lens of the GCC. Now, obviously, this has got to do with the vast amounts of oil present in the region. But it's also got to do with the financial weight that the GCC has. You can see the GCC is a major investor globally.