The Persian Gulf Region in the Twenty First Century : Stability and Change

This book examines the Persian Gulf region in the post-Cold War international environment. Each country in the region is discussed. Analysis of the individual countries includes among others, the political, social and economic systems of the nation in addition to its foreign policy in the post-Cold War international system. There is also an analysis of the new international system which has moved away from an ideological conflictive and competitive environment, based on the arms race, and zero-sum-game, to a system which is less hostile and multi-polar, although multi-polarity is confined more to the economic, technological and financial arenas. This book contends that the new global system remains hierarchical in that industrial developed countries reside on the top of the pyramid and the developing and underdeveloped countries are ranked below them.