The future of the Arab Gulf monarchies in the age of uncertainties
By: Mohammed El-Katiri
Contributors: Army War College (U.S.). Strategic Studies Institute; Army War College (U.S.). Press
Publisher: Strategic Studies Institute and U.S. Army War College Press
Published: 2013
Place of publication: Carlisle, PA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 38
ISBN-13: 9781584875758
Subjects: Monarchy; Political stability; Politics and government; Foreign relations; Gulf Cooperation Council
Description: Seismic cultural and political shifts are under way in the Arab Gulf monarchies. The political upheavals and transitions that have swept through the Arab world over the last 2 years have not toppled the Arab Gulf rulers, but did not leave them untouched, either. Rulers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states face heightened internal and external challenges and uncertainties. Pro-democracy protests and calls are extending from Bahrain to other oil-rich countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The expectations of GCC citizens, particularly the educated youth, are increasingly moving from socio-economic demands to political ones. They are now not only asking for jobs or wage increases, but also for more political participation and accountability. Chief among internal challenges is the resurgence in several GCC countries, particularly Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, of a decades-long sectarian rift between the Sunni regimes and their Shia subjects. The Gulf regimes' already tense relations with Iran have worsened on the basis of alleged Iranian interference inflaming sectarian tensions in Bahrain and across the broader region.
Notes: "June 2013."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 33-38).

Also available online in PDF format from Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) web site.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Precarious stability at home. Increasing calls for democratization; title: But the story is still unfinished; title: Fear of the rise of political Islam; title: Sectarian frictions; title: Succession issues; title: External threats to GCC stability. A dangerous neighbor : mounting tensions with Iran; title: The Iranian threat : nuclear issues and blockade; title: Iran : GCC policy; title: GCC stability : implications for the United States; title: Policy implications and recommendations; title: Conclusion.