Gulf in transition/ edited M.S. Agwani

t the beginning of 1970s, the countries around the Arabian/Persian Gulf took a big stride forward as the British ended their token military presence in the area and the regional governments began to gain control over the management of indigenous oil industry and the pricing of crude oil. Then came the massive oil-price hikes which convulsed the economies of oil-importing nations the world over, even as the Gulf countries were swamped with torrential influx of petrodollars.

Over the next ten years the Gulf states witnessed one of the fastest social and economic transformations in human history. As it happened, the tensions generated by these changes exploded in a series of violent upheavals which show no signs of abating.

The ten essays comprising this volume focus on socio-religious, economic and political facets of the ongoing developments in the Gulf region. Together, they provide rich insights into the causes and consequences of the Iranian revolution, the anatomy of the Shi'i Sunni divide in the Gulf, the direction and pace of economic development in the GCC countries, and the problems and prospects of nationalism and nation-building in Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Iran.