The connection between regional instability and the preservation of global security is nowhere more sensitive than in the Gulf. Events since the 1990-1991 Gulf War continue to confirm the fragile interaction among states in the region and their susceptibility to external forces. Gulf Security in the Twenty-First Century brings together some of the foremost area experts to explore the most pressing issues, including military threats to the region, obstacles to economic development and socioeconomic harmonization, and challenges to political stability. In particular, the work examines Iran's often enigmatic foreign policy vis-à-vis its Gulf neighbors, Iraq's resurgent military threat, choices and constraints confronting US Middle East policy, and Europe's inability to identify and pursue a united policy to safeguard its economic interests in the area. These topics are further illuminated with an analysis of Russia's historical attempt at balancing foreign policy objectives in the Gulf with its enduring interests in Central Asia. The potentially explosive issues of religious radicalism and the challenges of democratic pluralism are discussed in an effort to ascertain the potential of political Islam to disturb or enhance regional security. Similarly, the problems inhibiting the settlement of territorial disputes in and around the Gulf are brought into focus to illustrate lingering historical tensions among neighboring states. To round out the book's topical coverage, several contributors shed light on the region's unfettered dependence on foreign labor, growing demographic pressures, associated social and economic transformations, and challenges to responsive public policy.

The connection between regional instability and the preservation of global security is nowhere more sensitive than in the Gulf. Events since the 1990-1991 Gulf War continue to confirm the fragile interaction among states in the region and their susceptibility to external forces. Gulf Security in the Twenty-First Century brings together some of the foremost area experts to explore the most pressing issues, including military threats to the region, obstacles to economic development and socioeconomic harmonization, and challenges to political stability. In particular, the work examines Iran’s often enigmatic foreign policy vis-à-vis its Gulf neighbors, Iraq’s resurgent military threat, choices and constraints confronting US Middle East policy, and Europe’s inability to identify and pursue a united policy to safeguard its economic interests in the area. These topics are further illuminated with an analysis of Russia’s historical attempt at balancing foreign policy objectives in the Gulf with its enduring interests in Central Asia. The potentially explosive issues of religious radicalism and the challenges of democratic pluralism are discussed in an effort to ascertain the potential of political Islam to disturb or enhance regional security. Similarly, the problems inhibiting the settlement of territorial disputes in and around the Gulf are brought into focus to illustrate lingering historical tensions among neighboring states. To round out the book’s topical coverage, several contributors shed light on the region’s unfettered dependence on foreign labor, growing demographic pressures, associated social and economic transformations, and challenges to responsive public policy.

Concentrating on the security of the Gulf in the 21st century, this text explores the most pressing issues, including military threats to the region, obstacles to economic development and socio-economic harmonization, and challenges to political stability. In particular, the work examines Iran's often enigmatic foreign policy towards its Gulf neighbours, Iraq's resurgent military threat, choices and constraints confronting US Middle East policy, and Europe's inability to identify and pursue a united policy to safeguard its economic interests in the area. The book also examines the issues of religious radicalism and the challenges of democratic pluralism together with the territorial disputes which illustrate lingering historical tensions among neighbouring states.

This book is a follow-up volume to the acclaimed The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security and Religion , published by St. Martin's Press in 1997. The same editors, who direct the Gulf/2000 Project at Columbia University, have assembled a number of leading experts on the Persian Gulf to reflect on factors affecting security there in the twenty-first century. Most contributors are from the region itself and for the first time share the results of ongoing research with an outside audience. The chapters profile the diverse society in the Gulf and the historical pattern of Gulf security, before focusing on current security concerns between Iran and the Arab states. They explore the mutual perceptions of the peoples of the Gulf today and the role of the new generation in shaping its future.

This book is a follow-up volume to the acclaimed The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security and Religion , published by St. Martin's Press in 1997. The same editors, who direct the Gulf/2000 Project at Columbia University, have assembled a number of leading experts on the Persian Gulf to reflect on factors affecting security there in the twenty-first century. Most contributors are from the region itself and for the first time share the results of ongoing research with an outside audience. The chapters profile the diverse society in the Gulf and the historical pattern of Gulf security, before focusing on current security concerns between Iran and the Arab states. They explore the mutual perceptions of the peoples of the Gulf today and the role of the new generation in shaping its future.

The Arabian Gulf region has increasingly become the focus of international concern since the Gulf War of 1991 which clearly demonstrated the link between regional stability and global security. An effective Gulf security framework hinges, to a great extent, on the integration of national and regional policies with the defense policies of allied countries. The end of the Cold War has afforded the opportunity for the Gulf region to develop a more stable security paradigm that is not constrained by the imperatives of a bipolar system. Against this backdrop, this book examines the foundation and the scope for closer security ties between the United Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This volume includes a number of specialized papers presented by prominent military officials and experts from the GCC countries and Britain in a conference held jointly by ECSSR and the Royal United Services Institute for Defense Studies (RUSI) in London, April 29-30, 1998. The book thus offers a unique opportunity to access professional experience in the field of security and stresses the need to develop a greater range of consultative mechanisms. In highlighting both immediate and potential threats to Gulf security and effective national and regional measures to counter them, the book aspires to provide a deeper understanding of the security issues that will define the shape of the GCC-UK relationship in the twenty-first century.