The International Relations of the Persian Gulf

by F. Gregory Gause III

Gregory Gause's masterful book is the first to offer a comprehensive account of the international politics in the Persian Gulf across nearly four decades. The story begins in 1971 when Great Britain ended its protectorate relations with the smaller states of the lower Gulf. It traces developments in the region from the oil 'revolution' of 1973 74 through the Iranian revolution, the Iran-Iraq war and the Gulf war of 1990 91 to the toppling of Saddam Hussein in the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, bringing the story of Gulf regional politics up to 2008. The book highlights transnational identity issues, regime security and the politics of the world oil market, and charts the changing mix of interests and ambitions driving American policy. The author brings his experience as a scholar and commentator on the Gulf to this riveting account of one of the most politically volatile regions on earth.

Genres: Middle East, Nonfiction, International Relations, Politics, Political Science

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2009

Reviews

[Sophie Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class book for Iran in the Middle East. Pretty thorough and enjoyable book. Can't rank it a 5 because not sure I did well on the presentation.

[ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* porq me estás salvando el tfm y pareces un señor majísimo, me encantan tus artículos gause (gansey) III

[Ju · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greg Gause offers a staple account on Gulf policy and I have to agree with him—regime security, transnational issues and non-state actors are some of the driving forces behind alliance formation and oil politics among the Gulf states. If you’re looking to understand the region from this perspective, this book is a good, foundational place to start. Gause provides an unbiased perspective (well, until we get to the Iraq decision).

[Jonathan Flack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Argues that regime security is the driving force in the region. Insightful about Iran and Iraq relation to US policy.