The Gulf States: A Modern History - Hardcover

David Commins

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848852789 ISBN 13: 9781848852785

Publisher: I.B.Tauris, 2012

Synopsis

The geopolitical importance of the Gulf region is a source both of great interest and great tension. David Commins here provides an in-depth narrative of the modern political history of the Gulf States, offering a comprehensive and accessible account of their recent development and strategic importance. This book sets out a detailed study of the region s history, starting from the empires and dynasties of the pre-modern era. Focusing primarily on economic, cultural, religious and social themes, it works its way forward through the pre-modern patterns of the 14th century to the Muslim empires that dominated in the 16th to early 18th centuries, and from the era of British supremacy to the formation of modern states, Arab nationalism and revolution. The motifs of geography, hierarchy and values are interwoven throughout the book as it examines important topics, including the influence of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of Arab dynasties, oil wealth and modern prosperity, and the formation of the Gulf States as we know them today. Commins goes on to examine recent American involvement in the region, taking examples of American intervention and influence from Kuwait and Iraq, to Iran, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Considering America s increasing hegemony since the 1970s, the book compares the American role in the region to that of the earlier British supremacy - crucially linking the financial burdens of American actions to the US future as regional hegemon. With the importance and impact of the Gulf States continuing to increase, and their futures the subject of much international speculation, this book is an invaluable source of information on the Gulf region s development, essential for students and researchers alike.

About this title

Review:

'Commins writes clearly and succinctly, avoiding the dense prose that can be the bane of some academic texts...Commins provides an excellent set of explanations as to why the region is the way it is...The Gulf States is a fine book.' --Asian Review of Books

About the Author:

David Commins is Benjamin Rush Distinguished Chair in Liberal Arts and Sciences and Professor of History at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania. His publications include The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia (I.B.Tauris, 2006), Historical Dictionary of Syria (1996, revised edition 2004) and Islamic Reform: Politics and Social Change in Late Ottoman Syria (1990).

About this edition

• Publisher: I.B.Tauris
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1848852789
• ISBN 13: 9781848852785
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320