The shock discovery of oil in the Gulf States thrust them from relative obscurity to the forefront of international finance and politics. It coincided with the breakdown of the international monetary system and the twin food and energy crisis, all of which helped to magnify the impact of the oil price increases. Yet, despite the continuing oil wealth enjoyed by the Gulf States, their economy has suffered some damaging blows in the recent past. The Iran—Iraq War has imposed a heavy burden on the Gulf countries which have contributed huge sums to Iraq. Internally, the Gulf economies have been hurt by the speculative boom generated by the unofficial stock-market in Kuwait which collapsed in the summer of 1982. This book, by an Arab economist long experienced in working in the Gulf economy, reviews the prospects for the region in the light of these external and internal problems and, drawing on the Kuwaiti example, suggests ways in which changes can be made. First published in 1984.

The crucial importance of the Gulf region today – which may be defined as comprising the states of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, with Iran as a non-Arab onlooker – has stimulated surprisingly little interest in academic circles. Much of what has been written, moreover, focuses exclusively on those aspects of direct concern to external interests. The focus of this book is on the Gulf region as an area with its own problems of social, economic and political development. It examines the dimensions of the attempts by the governments and peoples of the area to create new social, economic and political structures – stemming mainly, of course, from their new-found oil wealth. First published in 1980.

Were oil supplies everlasting and the demand for oil strong and continuous, economic diversification in the Gulf would be pointless. However oil reserves are finite and non-renewable and the world demand for oil from the Gulf region is simply not stable. Collectively the countries of the Gulf face the striking prospect that unless priorities and plans are set with care the gestation period of their economic development may be longer than the expected life of their hydrocarbon resources. This book examines just that threat. It considers the opportunities available to the Gulf states for accumulating sufficient productive capital in the non-oil sectors of their economy to offset the drawing down of oil reserves. The book pays particular attention to the possibilities of development through cooperation not only within the Gulf Cooperation Council but also within the larger Arab region and the Third World as a whole. It concludes with a critical review of the main challenges that these economies are facing and are likely to face in the near future with special emphasis on their major problems and failures. First published in 1984.

This book, a comprehensive study of twelve of the economies of key countries of the Arab world, has three main objectives: to record the developmental achievements and failings of each country; to examine the main issues arising in the drive for development; and to assess the future outlook for development for each country. Most of the countries studied only gained independence from their colonial masters in recent decades, and the process of economic development has necessarily been accompanied by political development. First published in 1978.

Taking account of the Gulf War and the events that followed, this updated paperback provides a country-by-country account of the Gulf in the post-war era. It provides analysis of the social, economic and commercial developments as well as the political history of the region. The book considers the effects of the seventies oil boom on Gulf societies, and shows how the prosperity of that period was followed by a period of economic stagnation which was exacerbated by the Iran-Iraq war. The book also examines the nature and consequences of the economic dependence of the West on the region for oil supplies, and how this governed the response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Finally, there is an account of the Kurdish and Shia uprisings and the attempts to bring peace to the region.