Demographic Dynamics and the Redefinition of Security Approaches in the PGCC

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD candidate in Regional studies, Allameh Tabatabai University

2 Associate Professor of International Relations, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

10.22080/jpir.2025.30362.1481

Abstract

Over the past two decades, PGCC states have undergone profound demographic transformations that have reshaped their social and economic structures while exerting significant influence on regional security. This study examines how rapid population growth, large-scale labor migration and shifts in ethno cultural composition have produced security challenges ranging from social discontent and the rise of extremist currents to the declining role of nationals in the labor market, economic instability and identity-based tensions and how these dynamics have redefined security policies and institutions at both national and regional levels. The central hypothesis is that demographic change, by heightening perceived threats, accelerating processes of securitization, has compelled governments to reformulate their security strategies and institutions. These reforms are most evident in the modification of the Kafala system, the revision of visa regulations, the implementation of nationalization programs. At one level, such measures serve to contain domestic threats and safeguard national stability and identity; at another, they lay the groundwork for emerging patterns of regional security convergence. The article’s primary aim is to analyze the causal and institutional mechanisms through which demographic shifts shape security policies and structures, while also highlighting the broader social, cultural and economic consequences of these transformations. Its significance lies in addressing a critical gap in scholarship on the nexus between demographic dynamics, security threats, institutional reform in the Persian Gulf. Methodologically, the study employs a mixed approach: statistical data trace macro-level trends, while field evidence and qualitative findings capture the social and interpretive dimensions of these developments.

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