The Gulf Centre for Strategic Studies is a London based think tank which was set up in 1985 and has local branches within the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain. The research of GCSS focuses on the Persian Gulf States, and Arab issues in general, and aims to raise awareness in the West of the Middle East, and in particular of the Arab Gulf states. To facilitate this awareness, GCSS regularly commissions and publishes books, monographs and articles, and periodically organises seminars and conferences through its various offices in London and the Middle East. The GCSS Arabic information service also provides reports on security and political issues to subscribers from embassies, ministries, NGOs, businesses, universities and individuals in the Arab world, Europe and America. The Centre also produces a quarterly political journal in Arabic entitled Sho'oun Khalijiya (Gulf Affairs). In addition, the Centre is Honorary Administrator for the UK All-Party Parliamentary Groups for Bahrain and Egypt. This role provides an opportunity to promote Arab-British relations and build relationships useful to its work, and has included providing sponsorship for various parliamentary "fact-finding" missions to the Gulf states.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Bahrain is funded by a PR company employed by the Bahraini government, and in addition to the favourable commentary on Bahraini issues which can be found on its website, the GCSS can be said to promote an image of Bahrain which is very much in line with that of the Bahraini government itself.
The Chairman of the Gulf Centre is Dr Omar Al-Hassan, a Palestinian-born Bahraini citizen. He was formerly the Ambassador for the Arab League to the United Kingdom and Ireland. He founded the Gulf Centre in 1985. During the 1980s he controversially met with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
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