Political Change in the Arab Gulf States: Stuck in Transition

Although reform movements have been prominent in varying degrees in most Middle Eastern countries for some time, the cascade of events following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein 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 four forces that are shaping current political attitudes and behavior across the region: movements to broaden women s political participation, the media, current US national security policy, and regional defense cooperation. The result is an up-to-date assessment of the prospects for political reform in the Gulf, and an important corrective to a simplistic domino theory of democratization.