The Changing Security Dynamics of the Persian Gulf

by Edited by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen

The contradictory trends of the 'post-Arab Spring' landscape form both the backdrop to, and the focus of, this volume on the changing security dynamics of the Persian Gulf, defined as the six GCC states plus Iraq and Iran. The political and economic upheaval triggered by the uprisings of 2011, and the rapid emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in 2014, have underscored the vulnerability of regional states to an intersection of domestic pressures and external shocks. The initial phase of the uprisings has given way to a series of messy and uncertain transitions that have left societies deeply fractured and ignited violence both within and across states. The bulk of the protests, with the notable exception of Bahrain, occurred outside the Gulf region, but Persian Gulf states were at the forefront of the political, economic, and security response across the Middle East. This volume provides a timely and comparative study of how security in the Persian Gulf has evolved and adapted to the growing uncertainty of the post-2011 regional landscape.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 23, 2017

Reviews

[Bruce Reiter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another essential read about the issues and actors of the pseudo-modern Persian/Arabian Gulf states. The work, sponsored by Georgetown University-Qatar in 2017 brings the reader up to date with the regional issues at the end of the Obama era and gives the reader an inkling of what was to come with the response to the chaotic foreign policy of the Trump administration. The introduction is well worth the price of admission and a sidelight into India is a bonus. Tribalism, Iran and the economics of oil continue to plague a region that iis flush with states and leaders that are enamored with a "zero-sum game" approach to both domestic and regional politics.

[Mehmet Koç · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read though overlooking political-economy of Gulf SWFs' activism in the region and beyond (particularly Europe, Far East, North America), Russia's increasing influence in the Middle East and Qatar's so-called 'smart power' status...