2.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course attempts to provide students with an understanding of the socio-political structures of the smaller Arab States of the Gulf Cooperation Council: Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Oman. These states have much in common, in terms of political systems and economic base, but with very important idiosyncratic natures, which may explain the relationship they have with each other, their powerful neighbor-Saudi Arabia, and the rest of the world. All of these states are very dependent on foreign labor and hydrocarbon resources and deal with their dependency in different manners. Some, like Bahrain, are already seeing a decline in their resources and all of them are striving to establish post-oil/gas economies. The class will discuss in detail the particularities of each of the countries. It will seek to explain how the differences in culture and society mold their different approach to international affairs and to their economic development. The class will also discuss the prospects of these states in light of the great tensions between each other and with their large neighbors, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It will also look at the role of these states in the strategic interests of the US, China and Russia, as well as of those of other strong economies like the EU, Japan and Korea. <a href="http://bit.ly/1bebp5s" target="_blank">Click here to see evaluations, syllabi, and faculty bios</a>