Contemporary Gulf Studies

This book offers a new perspective about the Gulf Arab states entering a post-oil era by looking at the political factors behind the green transformation. It discusses the recent ‘environmental enthusiasm’ in the oil- and gas-rich Gulf monarchies by asking how political power can be constituted through advocating environmental sustainability. While hydrocarbon-wealthy Gulf monarchies have been viewed as the globe’s ‘hydrocarbon powerhouse’ with an immense ecological footprint, efforts towards sustainability and environmental protection measures are increasingly monitored.

This book discusses how tensions and unknowns may impact future relations between a post-Brexit UK, the EU and the countries of the Gulf, including Iran. The authors of this book consider, in different ways, whether British and EU27 relations with the Gulf States may change or whether the traditions and the weight of their history reinforce the pre-existing patterns of these relationships. Ongoing changes in the Gulf, the present disputes and the trajectories economic reform also influence these discussions. The book analyses the changing positions of the US, China and Russia that are likely to impact Europe’s interests. 

It explores outcomes of ongoing world challenges,  such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the crash of oil prices, to further examine Post-Brexit Europe and UK policy challenges towards Iran and the GCC States.

The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the emergence, political economy and foreign relations of Japan’s relations with the Middle East, with an emphasis on its relations with the states in the Gulf Region.

It offers both country specific case studies and thematic chapters, providing comprehensive study on Japan’s relations with the Gulf and the wider Middle East. Japan enjoys a strategic partnership with the Arab Gulf countries in terms of its energy trade, yet this has morphed into a wider trading relationship with the wider Middle East. The book studies Japan’s relations with Israel, Egypt and Turkey, covering security, the oil sector and the LNG sector Middle East. This will allow this book to go beyond its rich analytical and empirical content.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is the most influential, organized, social, and political movement in Kuwait. With the succession in Kuwait, the role of the organisation become more interesting for people interested in Kuwait and Gulf domestic politics as well as those interested in the MB and Political Islam. This book traces the emergence and development of MB while considering the political and social development of Kuwait that led to its appeal. It explains the evolution of MB’s organisational structure and how it adapted itself during different periods in Kuwait’s history through the Social Movement Theory. It describes MB policies and strategies during challenging times. It traces the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the MB and focuses on its development and its mobilisation strategy. It is certainly one of the first focused studies on MB from its conception in 1941 up to 1991.