Overview

The Gulf monarchies-Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates-play crucial roles in world markets and politics. Their economies, which have traditionally been driven by oil revenues, have simultaneously propelled transformative change and preserved the traditional order. Fossil fuel wealth has underwritten an implicit social contract characterized by generous welfare states, ruler-centric politics, and a heavy state presence in the economy, facilitating stability during tumultuous times. However, as the transition toward renewable energy looms, will the Gulf monarchies be able to adapt? David B. Roberts offers a definitive guide to continuity and change in the Gulf region. He explores the forces challenging and bolstering the status quo across the political, social, economic, military, and environmental dimensions of security. Roberts examines the six monarchies individually and holistically, considering their recent histories and contemporary concerns. Beneath wide-ranging changes affecting these countries, he pinpoints key dynamics and structures that have persisted over the long term. The book examines key topics such as generational change in leadership, migrant workers, female labor force participation, U.S. military influence, and the multifaceted threat of climate change. Roberts scrutinizes how a move away from the oil-centered economic model could reverberate across the social spectrum, with profound implications for security. Suitable for a range of courses and offering important new insights for experts, this book is an accessible and up-to-date overview of the politics of a key world region.

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9780231205252

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Reviews

David Roberts, one of the top regional experts, provides an insightful and timely book on the current changes and transformations taking place in the Gulf monarchies. This is an indispensable and an extremely valuable source of knowledge to those interested in understanding the dynamics of the region and its implications. -- Abdullah Baabood, Waseda University This masterfully produced book is rich in historical context, is geographically thorough in its coverage of the Persian Gulf region, and analyzes critical issues beyond hard security that the regional states face. This is by far one of the best books produced on Persian Gulf politics and security in some time. -- Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University Qatar Security Politics in the Gulf Monarchies provides a richly detailed and innovative new account of the Gulf Arab states. David Roberts deconstructs and analyzes the points of change as well as the underlying continuities and expertly places the study of the region into comparative and theoretical context. -- Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, author of <i>Qatar and the Gulf Crisis</i>

David Roberts, one of the top regional experts, provides an insightful and timely book on the current changes and transformations taking place in the Gulf monarchies. This is an indispensable and an extremely valuable source of knowledge to those interested in understanding the dynamics of the region and its implications. -- Abdullah Baabood, Waseda University

Author Information

David B. Roberts is an associate professor at King’s College London and is adjunct faculty at Sciences Po. He was previously director of the Gulf office of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies think tank (RUSI Qatar). Roberts is the author of Qatar: Securing the Global Ambitions of a City-State (2017).

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