Enduring Authority: Kinship, State Formation, and Resource Distribution in the Arab Gulf

Enduring Authority: Kinship, State Formation, and Resource Distribution in the Arab Gulf by Scott Weiner B.A. in International Relations, May 2008, Tufts University M.A. in Political Science, May 2013, The George Washington University A Dissertation submitted to The Faculty of The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 15, 2016 Dissertation directed by Nathan J. Brown Professor of Political Science and International Affairs The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences of The George Washington University cer- tifies that Scott J. Weiner has passed the Final Examination for the degree of Doctor of philosophy as of March 25, 2016. This is the final and approved form of the dissertation. Enduring Authority: Kinship, State Formation, and Resource Distribution in the Arab Gulf Scott Weiner Dissertation Research Committee: Nathan J. Brown, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Dissertation Director. Marc Lynch, Professor, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Committee Member. Henry E. Hale, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Committee Member. !ii © Copyright 2016 by Scott Weiner All rights reserved !iii Acknowledgements The author wishes to acknowledge those without whom this dissertation would not have been written. Without the consistent support of Ronnie Olesker and Richard Eichenberg I would not have completed an undergraduate thesis or pursued a doctorate of Political Science. Jamal al-Kirnawi introduced me to the world of Bedouin tribal politics. Kimberly Kagan provided invaluable advice on completing graduate studies that prepared me for the marathon of doctoral study. Along with Marisa Sullivan, she introduced me to the “aggressive pursuit of knowledge” that defines rigorous scholarly research. Finally, I am grateful for the support of Thomas Morgan, Dhafra al-Azzawi, Eman al-Tamimi, and Suhail Hussein who opened my eyes to the complexity of the Arab Gulf region. I am grateful to Marc Lynch and Mary Casey-Baker at the Project on Middle East Political Science for a Travel-Research-Engagement grant that convinced me of the im- portance of archival and interview field work in political science. In preparation for my field work, Geri Rypkema and Eileen Lavelle at the Office of Graduate Student Assist- antships and Fellowships at The George Washington University offered advice, support, and edits at a moment’s notice for fellowship applications. Because of their support, I secured a David L. Boren Fellowship, which Michael Saffle at the Institute of In- ternational Education worked with me to complete. Ambassador Edward “Skip” Gnehm extended his kindness, advice, and consistent support of my project on my behalf. I am also grateful to MP Aseel al-Awadhi for her guidance. I received invaluable advice about !iv field work in the Arab Gulf region from Lama al-Humaidan. Samyah al-Foory and Zaid Darwish, despite having never met me before, spent four hours answering my questions about life in Kuwait. Madeleine Wells Goldburt, whose friendship predated my graduate study, provided advice and constant intellectual, logistical, and emotional support before, during, and long after my time in the region. In Kuwait, I completed field work with the support of the Center for Gulf Studies at the American University of Kuwait. Farah al-Nakib was a supervisor who quickly became a personal mentor. Her commitment to robust scholarship sets a high standard for emerging scholars and her deep commitment to Kuwait and its history is nothing short of inspiring. Noura Qasem provided invaluable support throughout my first semester at AUK. She also has the perhaps dubious honor of introducing me to Sultan Center. I was granted the opportunity to present my preliminary findings to AUK students through Pellegrino Luciano and Hesham al-Awadhi, both of whom also offered research support and mentorship during my time in Kuwait. Emanuela Buscemi provided constant intellectual stimulation and played a fundamental role in shaping my research agenda as a scholar interested in the politics of identity. Both she and Roberto Fabbri were wonder- ful colleagues. I am also grateful for my brief overlap with Shea Garrison and Susan Kennedy at the Center for Gulf Studies. The students of AUK who supported this project are too numerous to name. They were generous, selfless, patient, and often courageous to sit with me for hours at a time discussing their lives, experiences, families, and hopes for the future. Some opened their homes to me or provided invaluable research support. Others were supportive of my ef- !v forts to improve my Arabic speaking. Their enthusiasm and passion are an asset to Kuwait and harbingers of a bright national future. Several individuals in Kuwait provided invaluable access to written materials on Kuwait’s history. I am deeply thankful for access to the library at the Center for Re- search and Studies of Kuwait. Abdullah al-Ghuneim took time from his busy schedule to meet with me and provided important direction for my studies at CRSK. Amal Salah Berekaa’s extensive knowledge of the Center’s holdings made doing research there a pleasure. I am also grateful to Talaal al-Rameedhi of the Kuwait Writers Association, Hamza Alayan at the al-Qabas Archives, the staff of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Archives at Kuwait University, and Thomas Cherian Kutty and the library staff at the American University of Kuwait. I am also grateful to the staff of the Embassy of the United States of America in Kuwait for their support. In particular, I wish to thank Mona Farouki and Todd Bollock, as well as Lisa Cosgrove, and Gary Schumann for their help in ensuring a successful and safe research experience. Several people opened their homes and families to me during my stay in Kuwait. This hospitality was not only an important part of my research, but the basis of personal relationships and a sense of belonging despite being thousands of miles from home. Mishary al-Fares brought me to weddings, funeral observances, and every family gather- ing in between. The al-Barrack family were deeply supportive of my work and provided critical evidence for my findings. Dhari al-Wazzan, Ahmed Issa, Hamed al-Saeed, Siham Nuseibeh, and Ahmed Arafat all showed me a level of hospitality and kindness to which !vi I was by no means entitled. I am particularly grateful to Ahmed Bin Barjas for his willingness to share his deep knowledge of Kuwaiti tribal politics and grant me access to his extensive network of tribal sheikhs and influential leaders. His books on Kuwait tribal history were an important guide for my research and a useful asset for any scholar of Kuwaiti tribal politics. I also wish to thank his nephew Fares Ali Barjas who provided helpful translation support during interviews where speakers used a tribal dialect with which I was unfamiliar. Dana al-Otaibi, formerly of the British Embassy in Kuwait, blew me away with her knowledge of Kuwait and its politics. She is one of the smartest people I had the for- tune to encounter during my travels. Her sharp intellect is matched only by her witty and absurdist humor. I am grateful for every aspect of our friendship. My doctoral colleague Rivka Azoulay was an unrelenting source of support during my stay in Kuwait. Her intellectual tenacity and thoughtfulness is matched only by her warm-heartedness and genuine passion for the people in her life. She was the upstairs neighbor who quickly became a lifelong friend over the course of our many Friday night dinners. The development of my project in Kuwait was advanced by conversations with Talal al-Saeed, Saleh al-Nafisi, Saud al-Enizi, Rania Maktabi, Ghanem al-Najjar, Lubna Alkazi Yagoub al-Kandari, Mohammed al-Bogaili, and Dhari al-Jutaili, and Kristen Kao. I was also deeply privileged to discuss my work with John Peterson, who provided important comparative perspective between Kuwait and Oman. In Oman, my research benefitted from academic conversations with Marike Botenbal, Heba Aziz, Corien Hoek, Crystal Ennis, and Raid al-Jamali. I also benefitted !vii greatly from discussions with Mohammed al-Muqadam, Ahmed al-Mukheini, and Ab- dullah al-Ghafri. Said al Rahbi at the Oman Studies Center at Sultan Qaboos University was beyond hospitable, as was the staff of the library at the University of Nizwa. Julia al-Zadjali of the Centre for Omani Dress also provided important cultural context to my work. I am grateful for the support of Khalfan Al-Abri’e at the Omani Ministry of Her- itage and Culture, as well as Nasser al-Rawashie and Nabil al-Khanjeri of the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources. I also wish to thank Al-Shaima Al- Raisi of the Muscat Municipal Council and Batul al-Lawati of the Embassy of the Unit- ed States in Oman. I am grateful to the staff of Hala FM and Clean Up Oman for their friendship and kindness. The students of Sultan Qaboos University, The University of Nizwa, German University of Technology, and the Higher College of Technology in al-Khuweir took time from their studies to speak with me about their lives, experiences, and impressions. I am grateful for their willingness to help and inspired by their dedication to the better- ment of Oman. Finally, I wish to thank Rafiah al-Talei whose guidance and advice at multiple points throughout the project has been instrumental in my understanding of contemporary Oman. I recognize a deep debt of gratitude to all of my interviewees. While their names are protected by confidentiality, I have tried to write a dissertation that encapsulates the breadth and depth of their insights about their expertise, knowledge, and experience.

Load more