Political Change in the Arab Gulf States: Stuck in Transition

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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.

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Mary Ann Tetreault is Distinguished Professor of International Affairs at Trinity University. Her recent publications include Stories of Democracy: Politics and Society in Contemporary Kuwait and World Politics as if People Mattered. Gwenn Okruhlik is visiting scholar in the Department of Political Science at Trinity University. She has published widely on a range of issues related to Saudi Arabia. The late Andrzej Kapiszewski was professor of sociology at Jegellonian University in Krakow. Among his many publications is Nationals and Expatriates: Population and Labor Dilemmas of the GCC States.