'It is important to distinguish the mind from the hand'

With the GCC summit underway, Kuwait's security apparatus is in high gear. There are tanks stationed at important junctures near the five-star hotels which accommodate the delegates.

In the tanks, there are soldiers equipped with rifles, ready to fire at the least sign of danger. Squadrons in full camouflage-gear are patrolling the main streets. Not surprisingly, it is forbidden to take photographs of these amplified security measures.

Still, none of this seems extraordinary for residents of a country where security reaches paranoid proportions, even on normal days. "If security seems excessive to foreigners, it is important to remember that they were not invaded by Iraq!" said one Kuwaiti.

But even with Saddam Hussain erased from the region's landscape, Kuwaitis remain vigilant.

The recent spate of bombings in Saudi Arabia has obliterated any impression that Gulf states are immune to the volatility, which has plagued Arab countries in the Middle East. That the fight against terror tops the agenda of this year's GCC summit is a collective acknowledgement of this reality.

Among journalists who have covered the Gulf region for decades, conspiracy theories are rife, and even though many are reluctant to put pen to paper, these theories are unquestionable to them, or sous-entendu, as they say in French.

"You cannot deny that the Americans stand to gain a lot from the insecurity in the region," said one journalist who has worked in Kuwait for over 25 years. "With Gulf rulers fearing imminent attacks, the sale of American arms in the region has shot up. What's more, Gulf rulers are apt to rely more on the Americans now for support."

Of course, none of this is new, he stressed.

"America's relationship with the Gulf has been there for a long time, but it has never been so evident before," he explained. "Did you know that in Washington, they can monitor every movement in the oil pipelines, rigs and tankers? They control everything from over there…"

This journalist is convinced that the Americans have a strategy in the region, which they will carry out till the very end and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

"They are rewriting the destiny of this region. They are redesigning the education system to exclude the Holy Quran from the curriculum, and they are working on reshaping the minds of the young generations here. It is a very long-term strategy, and it is playing out without a hitch," he said, mournfully.

Another veteran journalist who has covered a number of war-torn countries and is currently based in Kuwait is less fatalistic. He believes "it is important to distinguish the mind from the hand which implements the attacks".

"Sure, the bombers in Saudi Arabia might have been Arabs, but who is the mastermind – the ultimate mastermind?" he asked. "It is one thing to carry out the operation, but it is another thing altogether to plan an elaborate, long-term strategy, which is made up of much smaller operations."

It's the old game of divide and conquer, he said, "but they won't succeed".

"They have been trying to tear up the fabric of society in this region, but they are underestimating the resilience of its foundations. Cohesion and solidarity are integral parts of the culture here," he said. "They can cause trouble, but no, they will not succeed in the long term."

One French security expert and an observer of Gulf affairs laments that "America is following war plans designed by a team of Jewish military planners who worked under former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"There are weapons and other military equipment that are sold to the Gulf states by America…Goods that Israel refused to purchase because they were low quality. So the military arsenal of the Gulf is second-rate and basically, the leftovers of Israel," he claimed.

"This is a sad state of affairs, but no one seems to want to do anything about it."