Abstract This article revisits prevailing ideas about the legitimation of monarchical rule through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) by emphasizing the neo-traditional rule of the GCC regimes. It assumes that legitimacy claims often cross the local, national and (sub-)regional levels and analyzes them from a critical historical perspective and against the background of a global capitalist order. I show that the history of the sub-regional organization is wedded to legitimacy claims, referring to a common Gulf identity and good economic performance for the benefit of the members’ citizens. However, I focus on what often is marginalized in scholarly analyses: The common normalization of highly segregated labor markets on which the neo-traditional regimes depend. In effect, I criticize not only the international failures to oppose the GCC’s common repression of democratic revolt (2011). I also depict a bias in many scholarly analyses of autocratic legitimacy, as they neglect citizen-foreigner gaps. Finally, I argue that geopolitical and elite competition, as evident in the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, does not prepare the end of the GCC as we know it. Only substantive democratization could do so.

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新传统国王万岁吗？海湾合作委员会与阿拉伯半岛君主制的合法化

摘要本文通过强调海湾合作委员会政权的新传统规则，回顾了通过海湾合作委员会（GCC）合法化君主制统治的普遍思想。它假设合法性主张经常跨越地方，国家和（分）区域范围，并从批判的历史角度并在全球资本主义秩序的背景下对其进行分析。我表明，该次区域组织的历史与合法性主张紧密相连，指的是海湾共同的身份和良好的经济表现，以造福成员的公民。但是，我关注的是在学术分析中经常被边缘化的东西：新传统制度所依赖的高度隔离的劳动力市场的普遍正常化。有效，我不仅批评国际上反对海湾合作委员会共同镇压民主起义的失败（2011年）。我还描述了许多关于专制合法性的学术分析中的偏见，因为它们忽略了公民与外国人之间的差距。最后，我认为，从沙特阿拉伯和卡塔尔之间的紧张关系中可以明显看出，地缘政治和精英竞争并未像我们所知道的那样为海湾合作委员会的结束做好准备。只有实质性民主化才能做到。