Political Change in the Arab Gulf States: Stuck in Transition

Abstract

Although reform movements have been prominent in varying degrees in most Middle Eastern countries for some time, the recent cascade of events has generated new pressures for democratization throughout the Arab World. Political Change in the Arab Gulf States explores the politics influencing the volatile situation in the region, as well as specific measures devised by regimes in power to adjust to the challenges of the current environment. The authors first focus on the politics of seven Gulf states: Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. They then consider forces that are shaping current political attitudes and behavior across the region. The result is a careful assessment of the prospects for political reform in the Gulf—and an important corrective to a simplistic domino theory of democratization