One of foreign policys best five books of 20, chosen by. This is about geopolitical, not sectarian, interests while pundits and journalists have rushed to paint the current saudiled intervention in yemen through a sectarian lens, the geopolitical dimensions of the conflict. Bahrain, saudi arabia, and the arab spring that wasnt. Brotherhood in the gulf, with stephane lacroix, david roberts, guido steinberg, courtney freer and kristin diwan offering detailed critical analysis of the many dimensions of islamism in the gulf. Dec 17, 20 focusing on three gulf states affected most by sectarian tensionsbahrain, saudi arabia, and kuwaitwehrey identifies the factors that have exacerbated or tempered sectarianism, including domestic political institutions, the media, clerical establishments, and the contagion effect of external regional events, such as the iraq war, the 2006. More importantly, the region has been the major potential source of incremental supplies since the 1940s, and will retain this role in the foreseeable future. Feb 18, 2018 with isis defeated, iraqi prime minister vows to end sectarian politics as elections loom. Middle east expert younes abouyoub told rt that it is in the interest of the rulers of the gulf countries to portray the conflicts as sectarian. Sectarian politics in the gulf is a must read that offers a fresh and innovative contribution to the literature in international relations and comparative government. The current gulf crisis has brought back politics to the forefront. Sectarian politics in the persian gulf hurst publishers. Sectarian politics in the gulf georgetown library repository. Read sectarian politics in the gulf pdf from the iraq war to the arab uprisings by frederic wehrey columbia university press one of foreign policys best five books of 20, chosen by marc.
The iran deal sharpens the persian gulf regions sectarian divide antihouthi protesters demonstrate to show support for yemens president abdu. This book was cited by foreign policy magazine as one of the five best books on the middle east for 20, and is said to be one of the best analyses of the new politics of sectarianism in the persian gulf. Iraqs electoral commission said 19 may 2018 that a bloc led by populist shiite cleric muqtada alsadr, who fought us troops during the iraq war, has won. It is a closed basin with the straight of hormuz as its only connection with open seas the sea of oman.
Muqtada himself led a militia, the mahdi army, which fought against the usled forces in iraq in 2004, before taking part in iraqs sectarian civil war 20067. Political segmentation and diversification in the rentier. Wehrey investigates the roots of the shiasunni divide now dominating the persian gulfs political landscape. Identity politics, sectarian conflict, and regional political rivalry in the middle east sean cleary i an introduction to sectarian identities although conflicts between sunni and shia muslims are not the only sectarian violence in the middle east, with an increase in violence against members of the coptic community in egypt before. In particular, the political alliances between the arab gulf states were consolidated by the islamic revolution in 1979, which created a new model of quasiparticipatory islamist government in a country of 80 million people that is, larger than the population of all the arab gulf states. Sectarian gulf is an excellent and timely account of the challenges facing the persian gulf today. Jones, rutgers, the state university of new jersey, author of desert kingdom. Sectarian politics in the gulf represents the most uptodate and insightful study on the politics of sectarianism in three key gulf countries. May 05, 2015 preaching hate and sectarianism in the gulf. In sectarian gulf, toby matthiesen paints a very different picture, offering the first assessment of the arab spring across the region.
The ongoing uprising by the countrys shia majority, which claims systematic discrimination on the part of bahrains sunni monarchy, has weakened after multiple mass arrests. The iran deal sharpens the persian gulf regions sectarian. Pomeps briefing 28 te gulfs escalating sectarianism provides crucial analysis from top scholars on the role of this. Identity politics, sectarian conflict, and regional political.
The iraqi parliaments support of the reforms is a shocking display of political unity in a country where sectarian violence and mistrust have become the norm. Aug 14, 2015 the iraqi parliaments support of the reforms is a shocking display of political unity in a country where sectarian violence and mistrust have become the norm. He did expand the very limited scope for women to play a role in saudi public life, but was generally conservative at home. Far from being an intrinsic or innate feature of these societies, prof. The contributors to this book examine sectarian politics in the persian gulf, including the gcc states, yemen, iran and iraq, and consider the origins and consequences of sectarianism broadly construed, as it affects ethnic, tribal and. Sectarian politics in the gulf columbia university press.
Sectarian politics in the gulf working group summary report certain streams of scholarship have suggested that conflicts around sectarian identity lie at the very crux of middle eastern politics. Saudi use of sectarianism in its domestic and regional policies is the subject of a robust political science literature. Wehrey dispassionately chronicles sectarianism in the three gulf countries where shiitesunni tensions are arguably most significant. For this reason we decided to incorporate a study of the political dimensions of the gulf. The book belongs on the syllabus of any class dealing with gulf security and on the desk of policy planners and decision makers around. The middle east holds a very iarge proportion of the worlds proven oil reserves.
Foreign policy analysis of the gulf, however, is often hindered by the black box of leadership within the gulf arab states. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. Initially, the tactic proved successful, writes toby matthiesen in his book sectarian gulf. When faced with rising political challenges in early 2011, the gulf states bahrain and saudi arabia in particular mobilized sectarianism in order to suppress domestic calls for reform, a strategy that i analyze in my recent book sectarian gulf.
May 28, 2014 his discussion today will be based on his book, which is entitled sectarian politics in the gulf. Wehrey is a senior associate in the middle east program at the carnegie endowment for international peace. Preaching hate and sectarianism in the gulf foreign policy. He is a specialist in the politics of the persian gulf, and his articles and commentary have appeared in the new york times, the washington post, the financial times, foreign affairs, and foreign policy. After years of sectarian conflict, many iraqis welcome. The qatar crisis project on middle east political science.
The points put forward by matthiesen to depict the rise of sectarian politics in the gulf as a policy response to the arab spring are compelling. The gulf war 19901991 and the study of international. Months of bitter sectarian fighting in syria is deepening the divide between the branches of islam in persian gulf states far from the battlefield, as sunnis and shiites wage dueling campaigns to. When sectarian actors perceive that there is a political threat from another sect due to specific behaviors or rhetoric, there is a tendency to respond in a sectarian manner to protect political and religious interests, and this can lead to a vicious cycle of distrust among the sects. Sectarianism may be broadly defined as the process through which forms of ethnic andor religious identity are politicized. The contributors to this book examine sectarian politics in the persian gulf, including the gcc states, yemen, iran and iraq, and consider the origins and con sequences of sectarianism broadly construed, as it affects ethnic, tribal and religious groups.
Syrian conflict said to fuel sectarian tensions in persian. Mustafa gurbuz march 8, 2017 the syrian war and ensuing crisis in iraq have put turkey and iran in an unprecedented sectarian rivalry. Pdf sectarian relations and sociopolitical conflict in iraq. Why should a trader care about his commercial partners politics. The regimes strategy was to combine divisiveness based on. With isis defeated, iraqi prime minister vows to end. These were barack obamas words as, on august 7, his administration authorized airstrikes on northern iraq, targeting militants belonging to the islamic state formerly the islamic state of iraq and greater. Wehrey shows in careful detail how sectarianism is invoked, produced and instrumentalized, and for very specific goals by. Pdf inspired by the events of the arab spring, political activists in bahrain. The mix of sectarianism and geopolitics in foreign and security. He details how regional developments, above all the islamic revolution in iran in 1979, the u. The persian gulf stretches from the gulf of oman on the south to the marshes of the shattal arab river on the north. The gulfs length is about 865 kilometers and 370 kilometers wide at its widest point.
The rise of an alternative sunni islamic model of politics was to be avoided at all costs and the hate speech directed against supporters of the muslim. Potter long a taboo topic, as well as one that has alarmed outside powers, sectarian conflict in the middle east is on the rise. This summary report contains synopses of chapters written for the sectarian politics in the gulf research initiative over two working group meetings that took place in doha. Sectarian politics in the gulf frederic wehrey pdf from. Competition over iraqi kurdistan will be a major test for the future direction of the strained relations between the two regional powers. As popular uprisings spread across the middle east, popular wisdom often held that the gulf states would remain beyond the fray.
Chapter 5 of the globalization of world politics 4e. Political dimensions of the gulf crisis oxford institute. Download the full collection as a free, open access pdf here. However, authorities there skilfully managed to play sunnis and shias off against each other as a means of dividing the protest movement. Introduction the middle east holds a very iarge proportion of the worlds proven oil reserves. They are using sectarianism in that game, but both have. One of foreign policys best five books of 20, chosen by marc lynch of the middle east channelbeginning with the 2003 invasion of iraq and concluding with the aftermath of the 2011 arab uprisings, frederic m. Beginning with the 2003 invasion of iraq and concluding with the aftermath of the 2011 arab uprisings, frederic m. With isis defeated, iraqi prime minister vows to end sectarian politics as elections loom. Sectarian politics in the gulf carnegie endowment for. Long a taboo topic, as well as one that has alarmed outside powers, sectarian conflict in the middle east is on the rise. This is about geopolitical, not sectarian, interests.
Sectarian politics in the gulf georgetown university. Syrian conflict said to fuel sectarian tensions in persian gulf. The gulf war occurred in 1990 and 1991 when iraq invaded kuwait. With firsthand accounts of events in bahrain, saudi arabia, and kuwait, matthiesen tells the story of the.
From the iraq war to the arab uprisings columbia studies in. The late king abdullah is often portrayed as a reformer in the saudi context. As the syrian uprising shifted from a nonviolent revolt against bashar alassads regime, primarily led by an oppressed sunni majority against alawite minority rule, into a civil war spilling across borders, the window opened for groups like al qaeda in. Of chief importance among alabadis now approved proposal is the elimination of the sectarian quota system that has defined iraqi politics since the u. The ongoing strife in yemen may be interpreted as sectarian or having petrogeopolitical connotations, the only group losing all battles are the poor and common people. The intense media interest in the recent leadership transition in saudi arabia is a reflection of the importance of the personal in gulf politics. The contemporary record of gulf politics would seem to indicate that some citizens and governments long ago reneged on their wealthforacquiescence agreements. The invasion of iraq in 2003 inaugurated a new phase, marked by fierce sectarian division, which strongly questioned the pillars on which the iraqi national community was built. So, too, are the personal observations from the authors travels to bahrain and kuwait in 2011 and after, and to saudi arabia prior to the start of the upheaval. This is about geopolitical, not sectarian, interests while pundits and journalists have rushed to paint the current saudiled intervention in yemen through a sectarian lens, the geopolitical dimensions of the conflict are far more significant, argues dilly hussain. The iran deal sharpens the persian gulf regions sectarian divide antihouthi protesters demonstrate to show support for yemens president abdurabbu mansour hadi in the central city of ibb. We will briefly focus on 1 us geostrategic dominance in the postcold war era.
Encompassing iran and the states of the arabian peninsula, the research. The contributors to this book examine sectarian politics in the persian gulf, including the gcc states, yemen, iran and iraq, and consider the origins and consequences of sectarianism broadly construed, as it affects ethnic, tribal and religious groups. The foreign policy literature on the gulf cooperation council gcc is plentiful, and certainly has a rich and volatile sample to consider. His discussion today will be based on his book, which is entitled sectarian politics in the gulf. The central aim of this study is to examine the dynamic ways in which evolving sectarian identities and politics in the gulf region intersect. The gulf and sectarianism gulf analysis about introduction by fatima ayub has the arab awakening degenerated into a nightmare. Its strategic location manifold increases its geopolitical significance. Asia due to its proximity to babelmandeb strait and gulf of aden.
The central aim of this study is to examine the dynamic ways in which. Wehrey shows in careful detail how sectarianism is invoked, produced and instrumentalized, and. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sectarian politics in the gulf. With firsthand accounts of events in bahrain, saudi arabia, and kuwait, matthiesen tells the story of the early. Ir theory in practice case study university of alberta. Although they constitute the true mix of public sentiments moving from. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Identity politics, sectarian conflict, and regional. Much was made of the issue of double standards in regard to the western defence of kuwait, but the defence of an established sovereign state against full annexation by another state was a relatively rar.
Now, the perceptions have become totally different. The gulf war 19901991 and the study of international relations 111 but a relatively consistent part of the post1945 international system. Aug 26, 2014 the presence of the islamic state in iraq, syria, lebanon, and turkey had been flagged by regional press and commentators for some time. From the iraq war to the arab uprisings columbia studies in middle east politics kindle edition by wehrey, frederic. Bahrain is a small gulf monarchy ruled by the al khalifa family, which is. A good overview of sectarian politics in the gulf during the arab spring, but the book loses some momentum after leaving bahrain and saudi arabia as he acknowledges, the dynamics in countries like kuwait and oman are quite different, and he treats qatar and the uae as almost an afterthought. Marc lynch, director of pomeps, and stephanie dahle, assistant director of pomeps. After its first experiment with credible elections, egypt has reverted to the strongman politics of the deep state.
594 1210 1268 1360 1457 865 530 319 778 1024 49 1592 989 375 348 236 25 777 355 1589 981 21 754 1320 1252 455 98 1101 1387 340 292 1563 542 1321 934 1601 1536 474 1257 442 786 382 862 290 1345 217 935 937 95