Rehab al-Naimi, a Qatari citizen who works in the financial sector, told MEE that the biggest change she has seen over the past year has been a drop in morale.

“We're fortunate enough to live in a country with the capacity to preserve living standards … so the material impact of the blockade was never a huge concern,” Naimi said.

“What we are not able to control is the strain this blockade has put on intra-GCC family relations, where one or more family member is from a blockading country or is married to one who is.” 

As a result, she said, the blockade “now dictates how people in one GCC country feel about people from other GCC countries … Most of us are pessimistic about any reconciliation in the near future and expect the blockade to last for many years.” 

While many remain similarly sceptical of a looming resolution, the situation could develop rapidly, as it did in those early days, analysts note.

But regardless of what unfolds next, Aboueldahab said, one thing is clear: “The GCC as a social and political idea will most certainly never be the same again.”

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