How are authority and influence accumulated and wielded across the six Gulf states? Mixing theoretical and empirical insights, and utilising both historical and contemporary examples, this book offers a comparative analysis of military, political, economic and religious power in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as of the power of narrative.While many volumes examine each of these states individually, 'Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States' assesses the Arabian Peninsula as a whole, filling a significant gap in the literature. It surveys the myriad factors which have influenced the emergence of these states, societies and political economies, which have become increasingly assertive actors in today's global order.Exploring domestic, regional and transnational pressures, Kristian Coates Ulrichsen sheds light on the varying concepts of power and authority, the different forms they take, the ways they are projected, and the practical constraints on their exercise. From whom does power derive? Is it something different from influence and ambition? Is decision-making top-down or bottom-up, or a mixture of both? From bureaucrats to scholars, and from royals to opposition figures, Coates Ulrichsen uncovers the power relations shaping the Gulf today.

A comprehensive examination of the nature of power in the Gulf, comparing and contrasting its origins, exercise and opposition in six Arab countries.

Thoroughly expanded and updated, this guide covers bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The book features 56 detailed maps, accommodation and restaurant options for all budgets, comprehensive political and historical notes, and invaluable information for travel in post-war Kuwait. Tips are given on buying Bedouin silver and Omani daggers.

This book studies how smaller Gulf states managed to increase their influence in the Middle East, oftentimes capitalising on their smallness as a foreign policy tool. By establishing a novel theoretical framework (the complex model of size), this study identifies specific ways in which material and perceptual smallness affect power, identity, regime stability, and leverage in international politics. The small states of the Gulf (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) managed to build up considerable influence in regional politics over the last decade, although their size is still considered an essential, irresolvable weakness, which makes them secondary actors to great powers such as Saudi Arabia or Iran. Breaking down explicit and implicit biases towards largeness, the book examines specific case studies related to foreign and security policy behaviour, including the Gulf wars, the Arab Uprisings, the Gulf rift, and the Abraham Accords. Analysing the often-neglected small Gulf states, the volume is an important contribution to international relations theory, making it a key resource for students and academics interested in Small State Studies, Gulf studies, and the political science of the Middle East.

The six Arab Gulf States (AGS) comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are universally recognized as a distinct group of states. These states have developed their own distinct socio-economic features, regional concerns and political priorities that are relatively independent of the rest of the Arab World. More important, these states have acquired over the last 30 years, a unique international prominence. However, despite their global significance, the AGS are either little understood or even grossly misunderstood by the outside world.The central purpose of this analysis is to provide answers to some key questions such as: Why is it important to study the AGS? How do we best approach and analyze them? What are their unique characteristics? How did they acquire such an imposing strategic value? The author discusses among other aspects, three compelling reasons and three different approaches to assess the AGS. The study examines the changing national, regional and international developments affecting these states and the rationale behind their strategic and economic importance, concluding that the conventional oil-dominated approaches to the AGS do not adequately reflect their individual complexities and current realities.

In recent years the Gulf region has witnessed a number of major regional/international developments, the most prominent of which being the war in Iraq and the crisis surrounding the Iranian nuclear program. These developments have contributed to regional instability and have undermined efforts to achieve a balance of power in the Gulf region. Furthermore, during this period local apprehensions pertaining to the national security of the Gulf Arab countries have emerged. These comprise the demographic imbalance stemming from the vast migrant labor force in the GCC states and concerns regarding the inherent threats of the rapid development being witnessed by the region owing to its increased openness to the global economy. Internal and external threats necessitate concerted efforts to reinforce regional Gulf security via the establishment of a regional security system involving all the countries of the region as well as the cooperation and contribution of other states and international organizations. In formulating their new approach to security, the GCC states must reinforce their ability to deter intervention in their affairs by large regional neighbors and extra-regional actors. The common crises and challenges threatening the security of the Gulf countries should be a catalyst for the formulation of a unified Gulf strategy which necessitates a greater role for the GCC in achieving regional stability and fortifying the national security of its states. This book, which consists of papers presented at the ECSSR’s 12th Annual Conference of 5–7 March 2007, discusses both security threats and opportunities concerning the Gulf countries, with special reference to the foreign military presence in the region and the instability stemming from Iraq and Iran. It also investigates the need to establish a coherent and permanent defense system in the region. Moreover, it addresses internal security challenges facing the Gulf countries which have cross-border repercussions, such as organized crime and the demographic imbalance resulting from the flow of migrant labor to the region. The book also discusses the challenges inherent to the processes of development, international integration and increased openness to the global economy.

This book opens with an interesting question: Why do monarchies, which seem to be dying out everywhere else, thrive in the Middle East? The answer by Peterson, an expert on the Arabian peninsula who has already written fine books on Oman and North Yemen, is that the Emirs of the Arab Gulf have sought to be accountable to their citizens through a flexible mixture of traditional assemblies like the diwan and modern instruments like parliaments and an independent press. Peterson illustrates his argument with detailed case studies of political institutions in Kuwait and Bahrain and with looser comparisons of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Lucid writing and fascinating anecdotes make the text accessible to undergraduates interested in the Gulf, modernization, or democratization in the Third World. Choice