The International Relations of the Gulf

The International Relations of the Persian Gulf, Session I
June 18-19, 2008

On June 18 and 19, 2008, CIRS hosted a working group discussing the International Relations of the Gulf. This initial round of talks consisted of preliminary thoughts on chosen topics and brainstorming sessions to critically assess the project’s focus, parameters of analysis, and main thesis.

A follow-up seminar took place in January 2009 and will lead to the publication of an academic book highlighting new research on the international relations of the Gulf.

Below are the working group participants and their specialized topics:

Seminar Program

Britain and the Gulf Shaikhdoms 1820-1971: The Politics of Protection James Onley, University of Exeter	Foreign Policy Perspectives of the Persian Gulf States Fred Lawson, Mills College

American Policy toward the Persian Gulf: Strategies, Effectiveness, and Consequences Mohammed Ayoob, Michigan State University	The Iraqi Factor: Regional Consequences of Internal Turmoil Daniel Byman, Georgetown University

GCC Collective Security Efforts Joseph Kostiner, Tel Aviv University	Sovereignty and Bounderies in the Gulf States: Settling the Peripheries J.E. Peterson, University of Arizona

Conceptualizing EU-Gulf Relations: Trends and Realities Gerd Nonneman, University of Exeter	Iran's Regional Foreign and Security Policies in the Persian Gulf Mehran Kamrava, SFS-Qatar

Saudi Arabia's Regional Security Policy Gregory Gause, University of Vermont	Qatar's Foreign Policy: Autonomy and Security Steven Wright, Qatar University

China, India and the Gulf - Converging Interests? N. Janardhan, Gulf Research Center	Political Reform and Foreign Policy in the Gulf Monarchies Katja Niethammer, SFS-Qatar

The International Relations of the Persian Gulf, Session II
January 8-9, 2009

On January 8-9, 2009, CIRS convened the second International Relations of the Gulf working group session. This meeting was part of a year-long research initiative that began in June 2008 and which focused on analyzing several key aspects of the International Relations of the Gulf from different angles. CIRS invited a core group of distinguished Gulf studies scholars to Doha to attend the working group meetings and to contribute individual chapters towards a book entitled The International Relations of the Gulf, to be published in 2009. The book covers topics such as the history of Gulf Shaikhdoms, Gulf security strategies, and political reform in the region. Concomitantly, CIRS also invited several other experts in the field to act as discussants and to give critical consultation and enrich the topics under examination.

This book breaks new ground and will contribute greatly to the literature on the international relations of the Middle East in general and the Gulf in particular. It will be of great interest to academics and scholars specializing in the Gulf and the Middle East, as well as practitioners and policy-makers, students, and interested readers.

Participants in the International Relations of the Gulf Working Group:

• Mohammed Ayoob, Michigan State University
• Daniel Byman, Georgetown University
• Gregory Gause, University of Vermont
• N. Janardhan, Political Analyst, Gulf-Asia Affairs, UAE
• Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University
• Rami Khouri, American University of Beirut
• Joseph Kostiner, Tel Aviv University
• Fred Lawson, Mills College
• Katja Niethammer, Georgetown University
• Gerd Nonneman, University of Exeter
• James Onley, University of Exeter
• J E Peterson, University of Arizona
• Lawrence Potter, Columbia University
• Paul Salem, Carnegie Middle East Center
• Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, London School of Economics and Political Science
• Robert Wirsing, Georgetown University
• Steven Wright, Qatar University
• Obaid Younossi, RAND-Qatar Policy Institute