Small Islands, Big Politics
Subtitle: The Tonbs and Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: September 15, 1996
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 262
ISBN-13: 9780312159108
Subjects: Boundaries And Frontiers; Political Science; Politics / Current Events; Politics/International Relations; International; International Relations - General; Political Science / General; Abu Musa; Boundaries; International status; Iran; Tunb Islands
First sentence: The history of the Persian Gulf is replete with rivalries and wars.
Description: Small Islands, Big Politics examines a territorial dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over the ownership and control of the Tonbs, three small islands in the Persian Gulf overlooking the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Since 1971, the year British colonialism withdrew from the region, Iran has regained full sovereignty over the Tonbs and has accommodated the UAE in the administration of Abu Musa.

Small Islands, Big Politics provides a close reading of the legal and relevant territorial-historical dimensions of the dispute and dissects the intricacies of international law and its application to other territorial disputes in the region. Small Islands, Big Politics is the first book-length analysis of the issue in the English language and will be indispensable reading for anyone interested in Middle East/Persian Gulf politics, history, and international studies.

The book also includes a comprehensive bibliography and key documents relating to the issues.