Reading References the Eu & the Persian Gulf

Home , Bahman Nirumand, Salman of Saudi Arabia

Council of the European Union General Secretariat

READING REFERENCES 2020 Council Library

THE EU & THE PERSIAN GULF

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Introduction The Persian Gulf has long been a hotspot of geopolitical interest. This year alone has seen sustained media interest in events in the Persian Gulf, including protests, the Iran plane crash and ongoing diplomatic conflicts. To comprehend this vibrant geographical area and its politics, one must gain insight into the region's history, the construction and interconnectedness of its different societies and cultures, the role of religion and the political bodies that exist in the Gulf. As such, the Council Library has compiled this reading list relating to the Persian Gulf. This extensive list has been created both for people who are new to the complex geopolitics of the Persian Gulf, and for those already familiar with the region and its geopolitics. It consists of various books and e-books, articles, podcast episodes, videos and think tank publications, varying from two-minutes' reading, listening or viewing time to more immersive material that can be accessed via the Council Library's online catalogue, Eureka.

Resources selected by the Council Libraries

Please note:

This bibliography is not exhaustive; it provides a selection of resources made by the Council Library. Most of the titles are hyperlinked to Eureka, the resource discovery service of the Council Library, where you can find additional materials on the subject. Access to some resources might be limited to registered Council Library users or to users in subscribing institutions.

The contents are the sole responsibility of their authors. Resources linked from this bibliography do not necessarily represent the positions, policies, or opinions of the Council of the European Union or the European Council.

Reuse of the covers is prohibited, they belong to the respective copyrightholders.

Additional resources may be added to this list by request - please contact the Council Library to suggest a title: [email protected]

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Table of Content

Regional geopolitics & history………………………..….4 EU & the Persian Gulf………………….….…………….....9 Bahrain………………………………………………………..11 Bahrain and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs Iran…………………………………………………………….15 Iran and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign Affairs Iraq…………………………………………………………….29 Iraq and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs Kuwait………………………………………………………...42 Kuwait and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs Oman …………………………………………………………45 Oman and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs Qatar………………………………………………………….50 Qatar and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs Saudi Arabia………………………………………………..55 Saudi Arabia and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs United Arab Emirates…...………………………………..66 UAE and the EU Domestic affairs Foreign affairs © starline at freepik Council of the European Union Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België Tel. +32 (0)2 281 65 25 Follow us http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/library-blog/ - #EUCOlibrary 3/71

REGIONAL GEOPOLITICS & HISTORY

External powers and the Gulf monarchies Jonathan Fulton ; Li-Chen Sim (Eds.) London; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019 Request via Eureka

"The Gulf monarchies have been generally perceived as status quo actors reliant on the USA for their security, but in response to regional events, particularly the Arab Spring of 2011, they are pursuing more activist foreign policies, which has allowed other international powers to play a larger role in regional affairs. This book analyses the changing dynamic in this region. It contains empirical case studies that examine the relations between the Gulf monarchies and extra-regional powers, including the USA, Russia, China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, France, and the United Kingdom."

The MENA Region: a great power competition Karim Mezran ; Arturo Varvelli (Eds.) Milan, Italy: Ledizioni LediPublishing ; Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale ; Atlantic Council, 2019 Access Online

"This volume deals with competition among regional and external players for the redistribution of power and international status in the Middle East and North Africa, focusing on Russia’s renewed role and the implications for US interests. Over the last few years, a crisis of legitimacy has beset the liberal international order. In the context of global reassessment, the configuration of regional orders has come into question, illustrated by the current collapse in the Middle East. The idea of a ‘Russian resurgence’ in the Middle East set against a perceived American withdrawal has captured the attention of policymakers and scholars alike, warranting further examination. Chapter 5 analyses the Iraqi and Russian relationship. Chapter 8 looks at Russia’s influence in the Gulf, particularly in Iran."

Ties that Bind: Family, Tribe, Nation, and the Rise of Arab Individualism Jon B. Alterman Center for Strategic & International Studies, December 2019 Video of Alterman the report Access Online

"This study concludes that it is a mistake to assume that loyalty plays the same central role in Arabs’ lives that it did a generation ago. There are places and circumstances in which it does, but loyalty is a variable and not a constant. The author finds that individualism is on the rise in the region, affecting the way people relate to power and to each other. He argues that people are much more likely to rely on tribe and family in circum•stances where security, government capacity, and mobility is low. Urban elites in safe areas have a different set of attitudes than the poor and vul•nerable. Finally, Alterman finds that young people are showing a much wider range of attitudes toward loyalty and obligation than their elders, partly because of technology and partly be•cause of economics. The report includes case studies on the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia"

The Gulf in world history: Arabia at the global crossroads Allen J, Fromherz Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2018 Request via Eureka

"The Gulf sits at an ancient crossroads of cultures and faiths, and at the heart of modern trade stretching back to the origins of civilization. As a site of both conflict and peaceful encounter, it can be studied in the context of world history, as a place of cultural and historical encounter. From medieval astrology to museum architecture, from the trade of glass and pearls to the role of Indians, Africans, Christian monks, Mandaeans and merchants, this book spans historical periods and disciplinary approaches. It is united by one overarching theme: the Gulf as a cosmopolitan nexus and space of encounter. The chapters describe a Gulf simultaneously perched on the edge of empires and at the centre of world events. Presenting new evidence, new theoretical approaches, and new arguments, this volume aims to change understandings of the Gulf in the world."

The Gulf Scramble for Africa: GCC states’ foreign policy laboratory Will Todman Center for Strategic & International Studies, November 2018 Access Online

"Arab Gulf states are intervening more assertively in sub-Saharan Africa to capitalize on economic opportunities and protect their security interests. They view Africa as a relatively uncontested arena in which they can experiment with foreign interventions as part of their strategy to prove their rising status on the world stage. The author argues that the impact of Gulf states’ rivalries in Africa is becoming increasingly damaging, as their zero-sum rivalry has provoked retaliations, which have dangerously destabilized vulnerable parts of Africa, such as during the fallout to the GCC crisis."

The Gulf monarchies' armed forces at the crossroads David B. Roberts Institut français des relations internationales, 2018 Access Online

"Traditionally, the armed forces of the Gulf monarchies played an incidental role when it comes to securing the states. The ultimate fighting power of the monarchies was relatively unimportant; rather, the monarchies’ security was derived from international relations that were sometimes founded on, and often sustained and fed by, ongoing military sales. But, for some monarchies at least, this is changing. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now deploying their own forces in hitherto unseen kinetic ways, as in Yemen, indicating that they genuinely seek their own fighting power. In the midst of the Gulf crisis, Qatar has doubled down on defence procurement both to boost its military and to increase its international entanglements."

The intra-GCC crises: mapping GCC fragmentation after 2011 Cinzia Bianco ; Gareth Stansfield International Affairs, 2018, Vol. 94(3), pp.613-635 Access via Eureka

"Through an in-depth analysis of the events and of the subsequent reaction of the GCC governments in terms of discourse and foreign policy, the authors distinguish three different categories of conceptualisation of the the 2014 and 2017 intra-GCC crises. First, the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates perceived domestic protests as an ‘intermestic’ threat—triggered by the intersection of the international and domestic levels. Second, the leaders of Oman and Kuwait conceptualized protests in their countries as manageable domestic insecurity, rather than as fully-fledged externally orchestrated events—arguably because they did not perceive a direct danger to their stability and legitimacy. Finally, it can be argued that the government of Qatar did not see any real danger in the protests but instead viewed them as an opportunity to expand Doha's regional influence, arguably at Riyadh's expense. Unpacking the fundamental factors shaping such perceptions is the key to finding the appropriate framework for analysing GCC security in the future."

Shias in the Gulf Monarchies and their Relations with Iran Laurence Louër Princeton University, April 2018 Access video online

"Dr. Laurence Louër, Associate Professor at Sciences Po, Center for International Research, Paris, discusses the influence of Iran’s Shia population in the Middle East from the context of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait in comparative prospective. Presented as part of the 2017-2018 Mossavar-Rahmani Center Seminar Series."

Security in the Persian Gulf Region Fatemeh Shayan London : Palgrave Macmillan UK: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"This book examines changes in the Persian Gulf security complex following the United States (US) invasion of Iraq in 2003, focusing on threats to the collective identities of two religious’ sects - Shia and Sunni. Although there is a growing body of literature examining security in the Persian Gulf, little focus has been given to the theoretical and methodological aspects of the problem. In this volume, Shayan analyses the causes behind the security changes which occurred in the region since 2003 and demonstrates how regional security dynamics are interlinked to perceived sectarian threats on the Shia and Sunni religious identities."

Intra-Gulf competition in Africa’s Horn: lessening the impact Rashid Abdi International Crisis Group, 2017 Access Online

"This report, based on high-level conversations in Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Ankara, as well as Nairobi, Addis Ababa and Washington, seeks to clarify the various actors’ goals and ambitions, and propose ways to mitigate the destabilising impact of unbridled competition in the Horn."

A dangerous Gulf in the Horn: how the inter-Arab crisis is fuelling regional tensions Rashid Abdi International Crisis Group, 2017 Access Online

"The Gulf crisis and the scramble for military outposts in the Horn of Africa are exacerbating regional tensions that risk triggering a conflict. In this Q&A, Crisis Group’s Horn of Africa Project Director, Rashid Abdi, untangles the complex web of relations that tie the Horn and the Gulf."

Insecure Gulf: the end of certainty and the transition to the post-oil era Kristian C. Ulrichsen London: Hurst, 2011 Available at Council Library Main Collection (095835)

"Increasingly long-term, non-military challenges have remade security concerns in the Persian Gulf. The protection of food, water, and energy, the management and mitigation of environmental degradation and climate change, demographic pressures and the youth boom, the reformulation of structural deficiencies, and the fallout from progressive state failure in Yemen all require a broad, global, and multidimensional approach to achieving security in the Gulf. While traditional threats from Iraq and Iran, nuclear proliferation, and transnational terrorism remain robust, new challenges could potentially destabilize the redistributive mechanisms of state and society in the Arab oil monarchies. Insecure Gulf explores this new reality, specifically, the relationship between traditional and recent security issues within the changing political economy of the Gulf Corporation Council states".

The politics and security of the Gulf: Anglo- American hegemony and the shaping of a region Jeffrey R. Macris Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2010 Available at Council Library Main Collection (093115)

"Since the 19th century the Gulf region has been an area of intense interest, having been influenced first by the British and more recently by the Americans. This book charts the changing security and political priorities of these two powers and how they have shaped the region. Adopting a narrative approach, the author provides background history on British involvement from the 19th century and a detailed analysis of the years after the Second World War, when oil supply became more critical. He covers the growth of US influence and the British withdrawal, and follows more recent changes as the US built up its military presence following the invasion of Iraq."

EU & the Persian Gulf An overview of the 2019 European Parliament election and its potential implications for the GCC Christian Koch ; Nadine Aly Bussola Institute (Belgium), 2019 Access via Eureka

"In a Europe that will continue to be preoccupied with itself as new political arrangements emerge, how are issues of importance to the Gulf region likely to feature on the post-election EU agenda and how can the Gulf Cooperation Council states maintain relations with the many different factions likely to emerge within the new Parliament? The prospects for this critical election and its implications for Europe’s relations with the Gulf region are examined in this timely publication."

A troubled partnership: the US and Europe in the Middle East Luigi Scazzieri Centre for European Reform, 2019 Access via Eureka

"President Donald Trump has re-orientated US policy in the Middle East. He has withdrawn from the joint comprehensive plan of action, the nuclear agreement with Iran, and aligned the US forcefully with its traditional allies in the region, Israel and Saudi Arabia. These actions have opened a deep rift with Europe. This policy brief assesses the extent of policy disagreements between EU and the US in the Middle East and their consequences."

EU foreign policy in MENA: the pitfalls of depoliticization In: Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East Ruth Hanau Santini POMEPS, March 2019 Access Online

"In the last few years, Europe has struggled to simultaneously cope with internal and external crises. Internally it is coping with the rise of anti-establishment parties, democratic backsliding and Brexit. Externally, it has failed to formulate a comprehensive approach dealing with the post-Arab uprisings’ turmoil, including increased migratory flows, terrorist threats and civil and proxy wars from Syria to Yemen. This essay analyses three areas discussed in EU foreign policy towards the MENA region: the democratisation of Tunisia, the political involution in Egypt, and the negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."

European ‘Middle Powers’ and the Middle East in the age of Trump and Brexit In: Shifting Global Politics and the Middle East Kristian C. Ulrichsen Council of the European Union Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België Tel. +32 (0)2 281 65 25 Follow us http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/library-blog/ - #EUCOlibrary 9/71

POMEPS, March 2019 Access Online

"The two seismic shocks of world politics in 2016– Britain’s narrow vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump’s bitterly-contested election as 45th President of the United States– have triggered contrasting and somewhat contradicting responses by European ‘middle powers’ toward regional policies in the Middle East. Even as the future of Britain’s relationship with the European Union has been plunged into uncertainty amid rounds of acrimonious negotiations over the precise form ‘Brexit’ will take, British, French, and German leaders have worked more closely together on issues such as the Iran nuclear agreement, the war in Yemen, and the response to the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. This essay assesses the EU and European bilateral relations’ effect in the Middle East."

Regional geopolitical rivalries in the Middle East: implications for Europe Ellie Geranmayeh Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2018 Access via Eureka

"The Middle East faces a fragile and turbulent decade ahead. A forceful obstacle to sustainable peace and development in the region has been the heated rivalry unfolding between Iran and those countries opposed to it – led by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel, and strongly supported by the US. European actors need to delicately navigate the region’s geopolitical tensions and use the limited leverage they have to push against the current trend towards greater instability and perhaps a wider inter-regional and global conflict."

Crisis and breakdown: how can the EU foster resilience in the Middle East and North Africa? Andrea Dessì Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2017 Access Online

"States and societies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are experiencing profound crises of trust, statehood and governance as traditional economic models and social contracts are no longer capable of providing basic services and goods. Socio-economic challenges are compounded by conflict, authoritarianism and the prevalence of deep-seated geopolitical rivalries between major states in the region and beyond. This paper provides an overview of major challenges and opportunities for state and societal resilience in the MENA region and examines priorities and niche areas for action as the European Union seeks to operationalise the goals and ambitions set out in the EU Global Strategy."

EU Cultural Diplomacy in the MENA region: a qualitative mapping of initiatives promoting regional cooperation Riccardo Trobbiani Institute for European Studies, 2017 Access via Eureka

"This paper assesses the willingness, capacity and acceptance sustaining EU broadly-defined Cultural Diplomacy in the MENA region. The resulting qualitative mapping focuses on policies and initiatives which foster regional cooperation, both around the Mediterranean and among southern countries."

Trump, Europe and the Middle East peace process: a path out of the quicksand Luigi Scazzieri Centre for European Reform, 2017 Access via Eureka

"The Iran nuclear deal is a diplomatic success of EU foreign policy. This analysis of the EU's tasks as coordinator of the Joint Commission overseeing the agreement's implementation evaluates the EU's performance and if the benefits it derives from lifted nuclear-related sanctions and the opened Iranian market risk undermining its role as honest broker. The EU is accepted in the Joint Commission as primus inter pares by Germany, Iran and the Security Council's five permanent members. How the EU will manage to keep the US in the agreement determines the deal's future and colours the EU's and its High Representative's legacy as a global diplomatic actor."

BAHRAIN Bahrain and the EU Statement by the Spokesperson on executions in Bahrain [Brussels]: EEAS, 2019 Access Online

"The European Union is unequivocally opposed to the use of capital punishment in all circumstances and calls on the Kingdom of Bahrain to introduce a moratorium on executions as a first step towards abolition."

EU foreign policy towards Bahrain in the aftermath of the uprising In: The Gulf States and the Arab Uprisings Toby Matthiesen (author) ; Ana Echagüe (Ed.) FRIDE ; Gulf Research Center, 2013 Access Online

"On 14 February 2011, inspired by the protests in Tunisia and Egypt, Bahraini activists descended on the Pearl Roundabout, which remained under their control for nearly one month. In mid-March

2011, after Saudi troops and policemen from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) entered Bahrain to guard key installations and back the government, the Bahraini regime cracked down harshly on protesters. The crackdown was an embarrassment for the European Union (EU) and the United States. While the US (together with Saudi Arabia) acts as ultimate security guarantor of Bahrain through its Fifth Fleet, the EU has close trade ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Bahrain has very close relations with Britain, its former colonial power."

Domestic affairs Challenges for National Dialogue in the Post-Arab Spring Era: The Case of Bahrain Shun Watanabe Journal of the Asia-Japan Research Institute of Ritsumeikan University, 2019 Access Online

"The “Pearl Spring”, the mass protest movement which occurred in Bahrain in 2011, gathered a lot of attention amid the wave of the Arab Spring. However, this protest movement was repressed and the monarchy held onto its rule. What has happened to the country since then? The existing literature has shown that Bahraini politics after the 2011 uprising have been characterized by strengthened authoritarian rule and deepening social divisions. Against this background, this article examines formal and informal, royal-led and society-led attempts for national reconciliation. Though sincere efforts to bridge these social divisions have been made, their success has been limited. This article illustrates that a lack of mutual trust or consensus on the form of governance has led to this limited success. Furthermore, examination of the situation of youth societies also reveals the influence of the rules of the game exerted on the civilian society."

The End of the Battle for Bahrain and the Securitization of Bahraini Shi‘a Simon Mabon Middle East Journal, 2019, Vol.73(1), pp.29-50 Access Online

"Since protests shook Bahrain in 2011, the Saudi-backed regime there has embarked on a series of strategic moves, crushing dissent both at home and abroad. This article explores the methods the regime used to ensure its survival. It argues that by framing Bahrain’s Shi‘i majority as a security threat within broader regional challenges, the regime was able to solidify its core bases of support."

The End of the Battle for Bahrain and the Securitization of Bahraini Shi‘a In: Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Struggle to Shape the Middle East Simon Mabon The Foreign Policy Centre, 12 November 2018 Access Online

"For many, the archipelago of Bahrain is at the epicentre of the geopolitical and sect-based struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Situated 16 kilometres from the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia, linked by the King Fahd Causeway, and 768 kilometres from the west coast of Iran,with a Sunni minority ruling over a Shi’a majority, it is easy to see how such conclusions are reached. Bahrain’s geographic location and demographic makeup mean that political events on the island often take on additional meaning within the context of the rivalry between the island’s two more powerful neighbours." Discourse and identity formation: parliamentary debates in Bahrain Lamya Alkooheji ; Chitra Sinha Amsterdam, Netherlands ; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: John Benjamin Publishing Company, 2017 Request via Eureka

"The book explores eleven debates held at the Bahraini Council of Representatives (or the Parliament) over 2007- 2010 to comprehend how parliamentary discourse contributes towards identity formation within Bahraini society. Within the framework of critical discourse studies, the book traces the ideological struggle over power in the linguistic content of legislative discourse through a range of discursive strategies and devices. The authors contend that the discursive choices across the political spectrum in the legislative debates reflected strong sectarian characteristics which contained in it the seeds of political unrest of 2011, the so-called 'Arab Spring' of Bahrain. Parliamentary rhetoric and its resonance in the public sphere, the authors argue, revealed the underlying contradictions in Bahraini society. The book highlights the significance of legislative discourse as a platform of social cohesion, and its instability being symptomatic of contradictions within society."

Sectarianism and the Arab Spring: Framing the popular protests in Bahrain Ahmed K. Al-Rawi Global Media and Communication, 2015, pp.1-18 Access Online

"Inspired by the events of the Arab Spring, political activists in Bahrain organized an anti- government demonstration on 14 February 2011, which resulted in the death of one protestor. Hundreds of other protests followed, and popular anger against the Sunni monarchy is still a vital issue in the Kingdom. From the earliest stages, the Bahraini government, which is closely aided by other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, framed the protests as an Iran-backed conspiracy against the Gulf in an attempt to spread Shiism and infiltrate into the region. This study investigates the different issues and sentiments framed by the commentators as well as the main online

communities that were present. Despite its importance in providing a vital venue for the online public sphere and in documenting popular protests, YouTube is also a platform for schism as flaming and highly sectarian exchanges of comments are frequently made."

Divisive rule: sectarianism and power maintenance in the Arab Spring: Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria Heiko Wimmen Siftung Wissenschaft und Politik, 2014 Access Online

"This research paper seeks to illustrate that the Arab Spring outcomes in Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria were brought about by the actions political leaders employed to defeat the challenge that popular movements presented to their rule. The author argues the rulers exploited specific weaknesses that made it impossible for these movements to hold on to the inclusive platforms which initially had gained them support across all social groups. A historical perspective reveals that the success of these strategies resulted from historical experiences and practices of authoritarian and violent forms of leadership and rule."

Arab uprisings: breaking Bahrain Marc Lynch ; Mohammed Ayoob ; Ala’a Shehabi et al. POMEPS, April 2012 Access Online

"This POMEPS briefing assessed Bahrain’s political situation and predicted future one year after the fatal events at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama."

Foreign affairs

The politics of aid: GCC support for Bahrain Robert Mogielnicki Middle East Institute, 30 October 2018 Access Online

"In early October, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Kuwait announced an economic aid package of $10 billion for Bahrain. The fiscal pledge illustrates how massive capital flows underlie the contentious politics and strategic alliances within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the broader Middle East region. In August 2018, Qatar pledged $15 billion to shore up Turkey’s beleaguered banking system, while Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait pledged $2.5 billion in fiscal aid to support Jordan in June of this year. Earlier this decade, Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen each received billions of dollars in aid pledges from GCC countries to stabilize their economies following the outbreak of protests in 2011."

Iran’s relations with Bahrain In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Steven Wright (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"In order to understand the depth and intricacies of Iran’s relations with its Gulf Arab neighbours, it is critical to appreciate the country’s long-standing historical linkages with Bahrain, especially given the far-reaching geopolitical effects of this bilateral relationship. In this chapter, Wright tries to explain the various factors in this bilateral relationship, referring to the relations during the Rafsanjani, Khatami, Ahmadinejad and Rouhani presidencies etc."

IRAN Iran and the EU The EU and the ongoing US-Iran crisis Przemysław Osiewicz Middle East Institute, 16 January 2020 Access Online

"President Donald Trump’s decision to eliminate Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force, might have caught his European partners by surprise. The author argues that throughout the ongoing crisis, Trump has called on European allies to sacrifice the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the Iran nuclear deal is officially known, and exert more diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran — a call no one wants to heed. It is irrelevant which side is right; lack of transatlantic solidarity is a disservice to both American and European interests in the Middle East."

Europe and Iran in a fast-changing Middle East Andrea Dessì ; Vassilis Ntousas (Eds.) Rome, Italy: Foundation for European Progressive Studies; Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2019 Access via Eureka

"The Trump administration’s decision to unilaterally cease compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and implement a policy of “maximum pressure” towards Iran has scuttled the European Union’s policy of conditional engagement with Tehran. This book delves into different dimensions of the current rivalries and geopolitical tensions characterising the Middle East, addressing their implications for Europe. The analysis addresses the growing economic hardship in Iran following the re-imposition of US sanctions and the potential and prospects of EU-Iran cooperation in trade and energy domains. A final report addresses EU–Iran relations in the context of the geopolitical tensions surrounding the US’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and European interests vis-à-vis Iran and the region. Progressive recommendations targeting EU actors span multiple layers of EU-Iran cooperation, both within and beyond the nuclear domain."

War & Peace: Europe and Iran Olya Oliker ; Hugh Pope ; Rob Malley War & Peace, The International Crisis Group, 16 September 2019 Listen to podcast

"What was so significant about the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and how important was Europe’s contribution to it? Why has U.S. President Trump’s ripping up of the accord and subsequent “maximum pressure” strategy not worked? Amid the ongoing standoff between the U.S. and Iran, what role can the EU and Russia play in salvaging the deal and averting a military confrontation? These questions are explored in the first episode of the International Crisis Group's podcast series War & Peace."

A last line of defence a strategy for Europe to preserve the Iran nuclear deal Riccardo Alcaro ; Andrea Dessì Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2019 Access via Eureka

"One year since the US’s unilateral withdrawal from the joint comprehensive plan of action (JCPOA), the EU-Iran relationship hangs in a balance. Europe’s attempts at limiting the impact of renewed US sanctions have thus far had negligible results. Iran has taken note and scaled back compliance with its nuclear obligations. Not all is lost, however. Europe should delegitimise a policy

of regime change or destabilisation, facilitate EU-Iran trade, increase assistance to ordinary Iranians, fight against US extra-territorial sanctions, and wage a sustained diplomatic campaign in favour of the JCPOA in Tehran and Washington."

Meddling or bargaining? Emmanuel Macron's Iran initiative Mark Leonard ; Ellie Geranmayeh ; Hossein Mousavian ; Ilan Goldenberg Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes, European Council on Foreign Relations, 6 September 2019 Listen to podcast

"ECFR director Mark Leonard discusses, with experts Ellie Geranmayeh and Julien Barnes-Dacey, the French president Emmanuel Macron's bold initiative: Europeans are now to explore a credit line for Iran to entice the sanctions-battered country to keep abiding by an international nuclear deal. But the US and president Trump are sceptical."

Ilan Goldenberg on Iran, Europe, and the United States Ilan Goldenberg ; Andrea Kendall-Taylor ; Jim Townsend Brussels Sprouts, The Center for a New American Security, 2 August 2019 Listen to podcast

"CNAS Senior Fellow and Middle East Security Program Director Ilan Goldenberg joins Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend for an in-depth look at the current situation in the Strait of Hormuz. With Iran seizing foreign oil tankers and Washington’s recalcitrance in the face of European diplomatic efforts, there’s an ever-present danger that escalation might lead to a conflict that no side wants."

All is not quiet on the Western Front: Trump's Iran policy and Europe's choice on the nuclear deal Riccardo Alcaro Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2018 Access via Eureka

"The US and Europe have failed to build upon their greatest cooperation success in over a decade, the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. While Europe has advocated conditional engagement, President Trump, alarmed by Iran's growing influence in the Middle East, has re-oriented US foreign policy towards confrontation. He aims at containing and isolating Iran through de-legitimation, sanctions and support for an anti-Iran. Most importantly, Trump is determined to condition America's continued participation in the nuclear deal on Europe's agreeing to exert further pressure on Iran by unilaterally changing the terms of the deal which would be a mistake for Europe."

Europe and United States fight over Iran, is the United States sanctioning itself in the foot? Rachel Tausendfreund ; Douglas Hengel ; Joshua Kirschenbaum ; Andrew Small Out of Order, German Marshall Found, 20 July 2018 Listen to podcast

"The sanctions regime against Iran that led to the JCPOA is widely considered one of the most successful implementations of sanctions ever, and also the EU’s biggest foreign policy success. But in May President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from agreement, leaving allies and rivals scrambling to respond. Europe has announced its intentions to preserve the deal and has promised to come up with a plan by November 2019, signalling a willingness to defy U.S. sanctions to do so. With GMF fellows Douglas Hengel, Joshua Kirschenbaum, and Andrew Small, Rachel Tausendfreund discusses the role sanctions have played in the global order and the problem of dollar dominance and potential U.S. overreach."

Europe and the US-Iran escalation Mark Leonard ; Ellie Geranmayeh ; Hossein Mousavian ; Ilan Goldenberg Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes, European Council on Foreign Relations, 14 May 2019 Listen to podcast

"Mark Leonard is joined by Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy head of ECFR’s MENA programme, Hossein Mousavian, former Iranian diplomat and scholar, and Ilan Goldenberg, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and former Pentagon official. They explore the latest development around the JCPOA, the European and Iranian point of views, and scenarios for potential US-Iran escalation."

Europe and Iran the economic and commercial dimensions of a strained relationship Cornelius Adebahr Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2018 Access via Eureka

"Europe and Iran had begun to invest in a closer commercial relationship just when the US withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018. Since then, Washington has re-imposed its stringent economic sanctions, targeting Iran’s oil exports as a major source of government revenue but also banning financial transactions with the country. This poses an enormous challenge for the EU, which had intended to use the 2015 agreement as a stepping stone to promote regional cooperation and a more comprehensive relationship with Iran."

EU diplomacy and the Iran nuclear deal: staying power? Steven Blockmans ; Astrid Viaud Centre for European Policy Studies, 2017 Access via Eureka

Nuclear multilateralism and Iran: inside EU negotiations Tarja Cronberg London; New York: Routledge, 2017 Request via Eureka

"Drawing on the author's personal experience, this book presents an insider's chronology and policy analysis of the EU's role in the nuclear negotiations with Iran. As Chair of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with Iran, Cronberg had a ringside seat in the negotiations to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Drawing on her experiences leading a parliamentary delegation to Iran and interviews with officials, legislators, and opposition leaders in nearly every country participating in the negotiations, as well as reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency, parliaments and independent experts, the author illustrates an insider's strategic understanding of the negotiations." This book provides an overview of recent historic events, explaining what the EU's role has been in the negotiations with Iran during the past few years.

Europe and Iran: the nuclear deal and beyond Cornelius Adebahr Abingdon: Routledge, 2017 Available at Council Library Main Collection (104568)

"This book aims to explain the specifics of the EU's approach to Iran, taking into account both the complexity of European foreign policy, in particular within transatlantic relations, and Iran's place in the international order. It informs the reader about the special negotiation format that included a number of world powers as well as multilateral bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the UN Security Council. Furthermore, it provides an outlook on European post-nuclear deal strategies and offers conclusions on the effectiveness of Europe's multilateral approach to foreign policy. By looking at the EU's diplomatic activities towards Iran over more than a decade, the book focuses on Europe's actorness in international politics." This book gives an overview of the relationship between the EU and the Islamic Republic of Iran prior to 2017.

Der Iran: analyse einer islamischen Diktatur und ihrer europäischen Förderer Stephan Grigat ; Simone Dinah Hartmann (Eds.) Innsbruck, Austria: StudienVerlag, 2008 Request via Eureka

"Dieser Band versteht sich als Einspruch gegen die indifferente Haltung großer Teile der europäischen Öffentlichkeit: gegenüber dem Terror gegen die iranische Bevölkerung und der Vernichtungsdrohung gegen Israel seitens der Teheraner Mullahs. Zum einen geht es um eine Analyse und Kritik der islamischen Diktatur im Iran. Zum anderen geht es um das Verhältnis Europas und insbesondere Deutschlands und Österreichs zu Teheran. Verhalten Österreichs und Deutschlands gegenüber dem Iran wird vor dem Hintergrund der vergangenheitspolitischen Debatten in diesen Ländern diskutiert. Neben den Beiträgen von deutschen und österreichischen PolitikwissenschaftlerInnen und GesellschaftskritikerInnen finden sich mehrere Aufsätze von iranischen Oppositionellen".

Domestic affairs Iran-Report Bahman Nirumand Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (Heinrich Böll Foundation), December 2019 Access online

"Diese Ausgabe berichtet ausführlich über die Proteste der vergangenen Wochen und erörtert Theorien über ihre Hintergründe, Drahtzieher und ihre Bedeutung für die politische Zukunft der Islamischen Republik. Weitere innenpolitische Themen umfassen u.a. den jüngsten Versuch, Präsident Hassan Rohani und Parlamentspräsident Ali Laridschani aus ihren Ämtern zu heben, die Reaktionen auf die harten Urteile gegen die Umweltschützerinnen und Umweltschützer sowie einen Nachruf auf die bekannteste islamische Feministin Irans, Aazam Taleghani."

Iran's Internet Shutdown Mahsa Alimardani ; Mike Sexton ; Alistair Taylor Middle East Institute, 12 December 2019 Listen to podcast

"Researcher Mahsa Alimardani and MEI Cyber program director Mike Sexton join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the recent Iranian internet shutdown, its impact on protests and the nation’s economy, and what it means for the future of civil liberties in Iran and the wider region."

Iran, Islam and Democracy: The Politics of Managing Change 20 Years On Ali Ansari ; Sanam Vakil Chatham House, July 2019 Listen to podcast

"20 years after its first publication, Ali Ansari returns to his book, Iran, Islam and Democracy, in its third updated edition which now includes new contributions on the Ahmadinejad presidency and the political crisis of 2009, along with a detailed assessment of the election of President Rouhani in 2013. In discussion with Sanam Vakil, Ali Ansari reviews the arguments made about the prospects for political change in the Islamic Republic of Iran, both in terms of domestic dynamics and the impact of regional and international developments, and analyses prospects for the future both in terms of relations with the United States and political change within Iran itself."

Why did Iran's foreign minister resign? Mark Leonard ; Ellie Geranmayeh ; Hossein Mousavian ; Ilan Goldenberg Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes, European Council on Foreign Relations, February 2019 Listen to podcast

"Mark Leonard speaks with Ellie Geranmayeh and Dr Kayhan Barzegar about Mohammad Javad Zarif’s resignation and the current political situation in Iran."

Iran’s Priorities in a Turbulent Middle East International Crisis Group, April 2018 Access Online

"Divergent views of Iran’s ambitions are driving proxy wars from Syria to Yemen. To stop disastrous direct confrontation, it is crucial to close the perception gap and that Iran and its adversaries take mutual steps toward de-escalating tensions. This report goes beyond the polarised debate about Iran’s regional role and objectives by presenting a variegated view of how stakeholders from across Iran’s political and institutional spectrum perceive their country’s threat environment and its responses, and what that holistic – yet nuanced – picture implies for those wanting to confront, contain or cooperate with Tehran."

Constructing nationalism in Iran: from the Qajars to the Islamic Republic Meir Litvak (Ed.) London, England ; New York, NY: Routledge, 2017 Request via Eureka

"Nationalism has played an important role in the cultural and intellectual discourse of modernity that emerged in Iran from the late nineteenth century to the present, promoting new formulations of collective identity and advocating a new and more active role for the broad strata of the public in politics. The essays in this volume seek to shed light on the construction of nationalism in Iran in its many manifestations; cultural, social, political and ideological, by exploring on-going debates on this important and progressive topic."

Elections et notabilité en Iran: une analyse du scrutin législatif de 2016 dans quatre circonscriptions Fariba Adelkhah SciencesPo, May 2017 Access Online

"En Iran, le fait électoral s’est banalisé. Il permet l’expression de la diversité, notamment ethnique et confessionnelle, des terroirs historiques dans les provinces, et témoigne de la professionnalisation croissante de la vie politique. Paradoxalement, cette professionnalisation replie la république sur l’ordre de la famille, de la parenté, de l’autochtonie, voire du quartier ou de la sociabilité dévotionnelle – autant d’instances instillant un sentiment de proximité, de solidarité, de communion qui renvoie à la fameuse notion d’asabiyat. Selon une expression courante, la République islamique est devenue une « parentocratie » (tâyefehsâlâri). Le développement industriel du pays ne contredit pas cette pesanteur, dans la mesure où il repose sur un tissu de

très petites entreprises familiales. L’analyse des élections législatives de 2016 dans quatre circonscriptions révèle l’importance dans la vie politique locale de la question foncière, indissociable de ces différentes consciences particularistes. Des lignes de continuité notabiliaire avec l’ancien régime se dévoilent, ainsi que de vieux conflits agraires que n’a pas effacés la césure révolutionnaire et qu’entretiennent ou ravivent les scrutins contemporains."

Understanding Iran: Perspectives in Practice Laura Secor ; Seyed Hossein Mousavian ; John W. Limbert et al. Princeton University, June 2016 Access video online

"Panelists Laura Secor (Author, Children of Paradise: The Struggle for the Soul of Iran), Ambassador (ret.) Seyed Hossein Mousavian, and Ambassador (ret.) John W. Limbert explore the internal and external dynamics of Iran and U.S.-Iran relations. Moderated by Ambassador (ret.) Daniel C. Kurtzer, this panel event was sponsored by the Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies, the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs, the Council of the Humanities, and the Program on Science and Global Security."

The quest for democracy in Iran: a century of struggle against authoritarian rule Fakhreddin Azimi Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2008 Available at Council Library Main Collection (090201)

"The Constitutional Revolution of 1906 launched Iran as a pioneer in a broad-based movement to establish democratic rule in the non-Western world. In a book that provides essential context for understanding modern Iran, Fakhreddin Azimi traces a century of struggle for the establishment of representative government. Analysing how the constitutional rule was discarded from the 1920s to the Iranian Revolution, and onwards, Azimi argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood the revolution by characterising it as an “Islamic” revolution when it was in reality the expression of a long-repressed desire for popular sovereignty."

A history of modern Iran Ervand Abrahamian Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 2008 Available at Council Library Main Collection (089226)

"In a reappraisal of Iran's modern history, Ervand Abrahamian traces its traumatic journey across the twentieth century, through the discovery of oil, imperial interventions, the rule of the Pahlavis and, in 1979, revolution and the birth of the Islamic Republic. In the intervening years, the country has experienced a bitter war with Iraq, the transformation of society under the clergy and, more recently, the expansion of the state and the struggle for power between the old elites, the intelligentsia and the commercial middle class."

Iran: empire of the mind - a history from Zoroaster to the present day Michael Axworthy London ; New York: Penguin, 2008 Available at Council Library Main Collection (089548)

"ran often appears in the media as a hostile and difficult country. But beneath the headlines there is a fascinating story of a nation of great intellectual variety and depth, and enormous cultural importance. A nation whose impact has been tremendous, not only on its neighbours in the Middle East but on the world as a whole - and through ideas and creativity rather than by the sword. From the time of the prophet Zoroaster, to the powerful ancient Persian Empires, to the revolution of 1979, the hostage crisis and the former president Mahmud Ahmadinejad - a controversial figure within as well as outside the country - Michael Axworthy traces a vivid, integrated account of Iran's past."

Foreign Affairs Iran-Report Bahman Nirumand Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung (Heinrich Böll Foundation), January 2020 Access online

"Iran steht an einem Scheideweg. Nach dem Austritt der USA und der Wiedereinführung von Wirtschaftssanktionen droht das Atomabkommen zu scheitern. Der erhoffte wirtschaftliche Aufschwung, die Öffnung nach außen und vor allem auch die Liberalisierung der theokratischen Staatsordnung sind in weite Ferne gerückt. Über den Kurs des Landes, auch über die Rolle Irans in der Region, ist sich die Staatsführung nicht einig. Wie der Machtkampf, der schon seit geraumer Zeit zwischen Konservativen und Reformern tobt, ausgehen wird, ist ungewiss. Der Iran-Report wertet Nachrichten verschiedener Quellen aus. Auch um die von den Mächtigen in Iran verfügten Behinderungen und Einschränkungen der journalistischen Arbeit auszugleichen. Der Iran-Report produziert keine Schlagzeilen, sondern er erhellt die Meldungen, das Nichtgesagte dahinter."

The Killing of Soleimani and U.S. Response Seth Jones ; Bob Schieffer ; Andrew Schwartz Center for Strategic & International Studies, 10 January 2020 Access Online Listen to podcast

"In this episode, Bob and Andrew invite CSIS’s Seth G. Jones, Harold Brown Chair, director of the Transnational Threats Project, and senior adviser to the International Security Program. They discuss the latest news about the Ukrainian aircraft that was shot down by Iranians, as well as President Trump’s address to the nation, and Iran’s vulnerabilities."

US-Iran Tensions After Killing of Qassem Soleimani Randa Slim ; Alex Vatanka ; Alistair Taylor Middle East Institute, 8 January 2020 Listen to podcast

"MEI experts Randa Slim and Alex Vatanka join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the sharp escalation in US-Iran tensions following the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Gen. Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad on Jan. 3, along with Iraqi paramilitary leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. After several days of waiting to see how Iran might respond, on Jan. 7 Tehran launched more than a dozen missiles at two bases in Iraq housing US forces. No casualties were reported, and in comments on Jan. 8 President Trump promised to impose new sanctions on Iran, but seemed to back away from further military action."

The Killing of Qasem Soleimani Steven A. Cook ; Philip H. Gordon ; Ray Takeyh et al. Council on Foreign Relations, 7 January 2020

Listen to podcast

"In this episode of our special Election 2020 series of The President’s Inbox, Steven A. Cook, Philip H. Gordon, and Ray Takeyh join host James M. Lindsay to discuss the killing of Qasem Soleimani and its consequences for the Middle East."

How Will Russia React to the Killing of Soleimani? Jeffrey Mankoff Center for Strategic & International Studies, 6 January 2020 Access Online

"The assassination of Iran’s Quds Force leader General Qasem Soleimani opens a new chapter in the already tangled story of Washington’s misadventures in the Middle East. While it seems unlikely that the Trump administration gave much consideration to Moscow’s reaction before ordering the killing, one way or another, Russia will have a say in what comes next."

Iranian Missiles in Iraq Shaan Shaikh Center for Strategic & International Studies, December 2019 Access Online

"Iran-backed militias within Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have acquired short-range ballistic missiles from Tehran, supplementing their existing arsenal of unguided rockets. Israeli airstrikes on PMF missile depots have killed and injured dozens of Iraqis , straining relations among the United States, Iraq, and Israel. The author argues that further Iranian missile proliferation in Iraq could increase the number of potential rocket launch sites, impede the attribution of Iranian missile attacks, and locate launch sites closer to U.S. and allied forces in the region."

Iran's Syria strategy: the evolution of deterrence Hassan Ahmadian ; Payam Mohseni International Affairs, 2019, Vol. 95(2), pp.341-364 Access via Eureka

"Iran has been a critical player in the Syrian war since 2011, crafting a complex foreign policy and military strategy to preserve its Syrian ally. What have been the drivers of Iranian decision-making in this conflict? And how has Iranian strategy evolved over the course of the war? This article argues that the logic of deterrence has been fundamental not just for shaping the contours of Iran– Syria relations since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, but also for determining the overall trajectory of Iranian strategy in the Syrian war. The authors outline Iran's decision-making calculus and divide the country's strategy on Syria after the Arab Spring into four primary phases: 1) a ‘Basij’ strategy to establish local militias in Syria; 2) a regionalization strategy to incorporate transnational fighters and militias in the war effort; 3) an internationalization strategy to incorporate Russia and balance

the United States; and 4) a post-ISIS deterrence strategy to balance against the United States, Turkey and Israel. Iran's Syria strategy progressively escalated in response to the possible defeat of its ally and the deterioration of its forward deterrence capacities against the United States and Israel. Today, the potential for direct inter-state conflict is rising as proxy warfare declines and Iran attempts to maintain the credibility of its forward deterrence."

Iran Looking East: An Alternative to the EU? Annalisa Perteghella (Ed.) ; Paolo Magri ; Anoushiravan Ehteshami et al. Italian Institute for International Political Studies, November 2019 Access Online

"In February 2018, anticipating the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared a policy of “preferring East over West”, thus paving the way for deeper cooperation with Asian powers such as China, Russia, and India. Differently from the “Look East” policy promoted during the presidency of Ahmadinejad (2005-2013), the current Iranian strategy is not only functional to escape the US-led isolation, but it rather seems devoted to the consolidation of a block of power which can commit to security and economic schemes in alternative to the Western-dominated ones. This ISPI report aims to answer few crucial questions: Which are the major initiatives promoted within the Iran’s “Look East 2.0” strategy? To what extent will Tehran succeed in creating a solid Eastern block? What will be the influence of the wider geopolitical context? And finally, what role is left for the EU?."

Iran in Syria: decision-making actors, interests and priorities Hamidreza Azizi The Geneva Centre for Security Policy ; Omran for Strategic Studies, March 2019 Access online

"The article looks at Iran's role in Syria and whether a peaceful compromise between the various stakeholders can be achieved. The author argues that if the so-called West were to accept Iran’s interests in Syria and include Iran in the UN peace process in Geneva, the Islamic Republic would potentially relax its positions on post-war political and military structures, which would significantly contribute to ensuring a peaceful political transition in Syria."

Iran’s Policy Toward the Persian Gulf: Dynamics of Continuity and Change In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Shireen Hunter (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"This book provides a detailed analysis of the complicated relations between Iran and its Arab neighbours. Arab perceptions of Iran, its regional policies and role in the Arab region, have never been more complicated than today. How is one to make sense of the increasingly complex and at times tense relationship between Iran and its Arab neighbours? Given the strategic significance of this sub-region and the importance of relations between its states to international security, this edited volume systematically accounts for each Arab neighbour's perception, policies and approach towards the Islamic republic, for the first time providing a clear and detailed comparative analysis of these relationships."

Iran, the GCC and the Implications of the Nuclear Deal: Rivalry versus Engagement Riham Bahi The International Spectator, 03 April 2017, Vol.52(2), pp.89-101 Access via Eureka

"The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, is consequential for Middle East regional security. It has raised a number of concerns for Arab Gulf states in relation to an emboldened Iran after sanction relief and the perceived shift of the US away from supporting its traditional allies in the Gulf. The international recognition and incorporation of Iran into regional power constellations resulting from the deal will intensify Saudi-Iranian rivalry to assert dominance. This rivalry and competition will increase in the short run, however, regional crises are expected to highlight the need for dialogue and engagement on regional affairs."

Sectarian dilemmas in Iranian foreign policy: when strategy and identity politics collide Afshon Ostovar Carnegie, November 2016 Access Online

"The Islamic Republic’s foreign policy is a product of its self-interest. Striving to protect Iran’s Islamic theocracy from external threats drives the country’s approach to foreign affairs. That approach can, at times, look aggressive or pragmatic. A sectarian angle also exists. Given its relative alienation from its neighbours since the 1979 revolution, Iran has relied on a strategy of forming relationships with non-state groups to help promote its strategic interests. Although it supports Sunni groups, such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, Iran’s backing of Shia organizations has most angered its neighbours. That practice, often fused with the unofficial policy of exporting the revolution, has paid dividends for Iran strategically but has also hardened perceptions of its confessional bias."

IRAQ Iraq and the EU Discourse and Affect in Foreign Policy: Germany and the Iraq War Jakub Eberle London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019 Request via Eureka

"Foreign and security policy have long been removed from the political pressures that influence other areas of policymaking. This has led to a tendency to separate the analytical levels of the individual and the collective. Using Lacanian theory, which views the subject as ontologically incomplete and desiring a perfect identity which is realised in fantasies, or narrative scenarios, this book shows that the making of foreign policy is a much more complex process. Emotions and affect play an important role, even where 'hard' security issues, such as the use of military force, are concerned. Eberle constructs a new theoretical framework for analysing foreign policy by capturing the interweaving of both discursive and affective aspects in policymaking. The author uses this framework to explain Germany's often contradictory foreign policy towards the Iraq crisis of 2002/2003, and the emotional, even existential, public debate that accompanied it."

The European response and strategies in the Middle East: Iraq and Syrian conflicts, Islamic terrorism and humanitarian crisis Carlo Paternollo Fondazione Ismu-Iniziative e Studi sulla Multietnicità, 2017 Access via Eureka

"This paper aims to analyse and assess the European political approach and strategies towards the Middle East region, namely regarding the on-going conflicts in Syria and Iraq and the consequent humanitarian and political crisis."

A history of the Iraq crisis: France, the United States, and Iraq, 1991-2003 Frédéric Bozo ; Susan Emanuel (translator) New York: Columbia University Press, 2016 Request via Eureka

"In March 2003, the United States and Great Britain invaded Iraq to put an end to the regime of Saddam Hussein. The war was launched without a United Nations mandate and was based on the erroneous claim that Iraq had retained weapons of mass destruction. France, under President Jacques Chirac and Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin, spectacularly opposed the United States and British invasion, leading a global coalition against the war that also included Germany and Russia. The diplomatic crisis leading up to the war shook both French and American perceptions of each other and revealed cracks in the relationship that had been building since the end of the Cold War."

Der Irak-Krieg und die Zukunft Europas Helmut König ; Manfred Sicking Bielefeld, Germany: Transcript, 2004 Request via Eureka

"Die weltpolitischen Konsequenzen des Krieges, den die USA und ihre »Koalition der Willigen« im März/April 2003 gegen den Irak geführt haben, sind noch immer nicht im Einzelnen abzusehen. Aber eine Folge ist bereits sichtbar: Von niemandem erwartet, ist eine intensive öffentliche Debatte über die internationale Ordnung und die zukünftige Rolle Europas in Gang gekommen. Der Irak-Krieg ist zum Katalysator einer breiten Diskussion über europäische Erneuerung und europäische Identität geworden. Die in diesem Band zusammengetragenen Beiträge sind Wortmeldungen in einer Debatte, die gerade erst angefangen hat, und sie sind zugleich Interventionen in politische Verwerfungen und Entwicklungen, von denen noch niemand genau weiß, wohin sie gehen werden und wohin sie gehen sollen."

Domestic affairs

Iraq's oil and gas industry: the legal and contractual framework Janan Al-Asady London ; New York, New York: Routledge, 2020 Request via Eureka

"Oil, an integral part of the contemporary global economy, is considered a driving force behind the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Hydrocarbon reserves in Iraq have a significant role to play in global supply, with oil revenue accounting for more than 90% of Iraqi government income. This book provides an insight into the key foundations of Iraq's oil industry and assists in the development of a core area of domestic law to promote economic recovery following years of instability. It addresses the development of oil legislation and the formation of contracts since the US and allied occupation of Iraq in 2003."

Women and democracy in Iraq: gender, politics and nation-building Huda Al-Tamimi London: I. B. Tauris, 2019 Request via Eureka

"As the post-invasion reconstruction of Iraq has unfolded, the potential for Iraqi women to participate actively and visibly in the country's political structure has been one of its most notable results. The 2005 Constitution required that no less than 25% of seats in the Iraqi Parliament be filled by women. Yet despite subsequent parliamentary statistics suggesting great strides for female political participation, there has been a resounding silence on the wider implications of this quota for women in Iraqi political life. Based on interviews with politicians and substantial media analysis, Huda Al-Tamimi outlines the political, sectarian and cultural constraints facing female Members of Parliament, and the ways in which individual women and women's organizations are actively challenging barriers to their political influence."

City of black gold: oil, ethnicity, and the making of modern Kirkuk Arbella Bet-Shlimon Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2019 Request via Eureka

"Kirkuk is Iraq's most multilingual city. It was also where, in 1927, a foreign company first struck oil in Iraq. City of Black Gold tells a story of oil, urbanisation, and colonialism and how these factors shaped the identities of Kirkuk's citizens, forming the foundation of an ethnic conflict. Bet-Shlimon reconstructs the twentieth-century history of Kirkuk to question the assumptions about the past underpinning today's ethnic divisions. In the early 1920s, when the Iraqi state was formed under British administration, group identities in Kirkuk were fluid. But as the oil industry fostered colonial power and Baghdad's influence over Kirkuk, intercommunal violence and competing claims to the city's history took hold. The ethnicities of Kurds, Turkmens, and Arabs in Kirkuk were formed throughout a century of urban development and political mobilization. This book shows how contentious politics in disputed areas are not primordial traits of those regions, but are a modern phenomenon tightly bound to the society and economics of urban life."

The reconstruction of Iraq after 2003: learning from its successes and failures Hideki Matsunaga Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group, 2019 Request via Eureka

"This book focuses on the period between 2003 and 2014, i.e. after the United States invasion and overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime and before the sudden rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), also known as Daesh. This book assesses several dimensions of Iraq's reconstruction. First, it considers the response of key international actors, such as the United Nations, the United States, and other bilateral donors, particularly the European Union, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Second, it analyses the process and results of the reconstruction of key sectors (electricity, oil, education, and health), and the interventions geared to institution building and governance reform."

The sacking of Fallujah: a people's history Ross Caputi ; Richard Hill ; Donna Mulhearn Amherst ; Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2019 Request via Eureka

"The Iraqi city of Fallujah has become an epicentre of geopolitical conflict, where foreign powers and non-state actors have repeatedly waged war in residential neighbourhoods with staggering humanitarian consequences. The Sacking of Fallujah is a study of the three recent sieges of this city, including those by the United States in 2004 and the Iraqi-led operation to defeat ISIS in 2016. This book argues that Fallujah was destroyed by coalition forces, leaving public health crises, political destabilization, and mass civilian casualties in their wake."

Federalism, secession and international recognition regime: Iraqi Kurdistan Alex Danilovich London ; New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019 Request via Eureka

"Federalism is widely believed to be an efficient tool to quell ethnic conflict, yet recently there has been a pronounced global tendency among ethnic minorities to break away from larger nations. Iraqi Kurdistan, a region within the newly established Iraqi federation, also harbours plans to proclaim its own sovereign state. This volume analyses the factors that have caused the Kurds to change their minds about living in a federal Iraq, and the reaction of their neighbours and the international community at large. Using a broad theoretical framework of federal studies and secession theory, this book examines the causes for the breakup of ethnic federations fuelled by nationalism as well as the international regime of recognition of newly formed entities. It provides a first-hand account and theoretically informed interpretations of the Iraqi situation, showing that federalism is not always a universal remedy for ethnic and religious conflicts; it also emphasizes that the international recognition regime is a significant variable in peoples' actions and aspirations to sovereignty."

The great betrayal: how America abandoned the Kurds and lost the Middle East David L. Phillips London ; New York: I. B. Tauris & Company, Limited, 2019 Request via Eureka

"The twentieth century saw dramatic changes in the once Kurd-dominated Kirkuk region of Iraq. The author argues that despite having repeatedly relied on the Kurdish population of Iraq for military support, on three occasions the United States have abandoned their supposed allies in Kirkuk. The Great Betrayal provides a political and diplomatic history of the Kirkuk region and its international relations from the 1920s to the present day. In September 2017, Iraqi Kurdistan held an independence referendum, intended to be a starting point on negotiations with the Iraqi Government in Baghdad on the terms of a friendly divorce. The book argues that though the US, Turkey, and Iran opposed it, the referendum passed with 93% of the vote. Rather than negotiate, Iraq's Prime Minister Heider al- Abadi issued an ultimatum and then attacked the region. Iraq's Kurdish population have been abandoned, once again, by their supposed allies in the US."

UN intervention processes in Iraq: a discursive approach to international relations Kerstin Eppert London ; New York, New York: Routledge, 2019 Request via Eureka

"This book analyses UN intervention discourses and practices in Iraq and develops a deconstructive approach to international interventions. Hitherto, most analyses of the conflict in Iraq in 2003 have established the UN's role as path- dependent on the foreign policy of the US and the UK, and largely portrayed it as a mediator and fervent opponent of international intervention. Analyzing the UN Security Council and the later UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) from 2000 to 2010, this book undoes this path-dependency and puts the UN's relationship with Iraq center-stage. It develops a deconstructive, critical approach that identifies subject construction and reflexivity as central processes of intervention practices and concludes that (non-)intervention is deeply connected to the stabilization of political identities and representations."

The U.S. Army in the Iraq war. Volume 1: invasion – insurgency – civil war, 2003-2006 The U.S. Army in the Iraq war. Volume 2: surge and withdrawal 2007 – 2011 US Army ; Joel D. Rayburn ; Frank K. Sobchak U.S. United States Government US Army, 2019 V. 1 Available at Council Library Main Collection (105546) V. 2 Available at Council Library Main Collection ( 105670)

"The Iraq War has been the costliest U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War. The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the US Army’s initial operational level analysis of this conflict, written in narrative format, with assessments and lessons embedded throughout the work. This study reviews the conflict from a US Landpower perspective and includes the contributions of coalition allies, the U.S. Marine Corps, and special operations forces. Presented principally from the point of view of the US commanders in Baghdad, the narrative examines the interaction of the operational and strategic levels, as well as the creation of theatre level strategy and its implementation at the tactical level."

Iraq 2020: What Will Happen to the Protest Movement? Harith Hasan Carnegie Middle East Center, 23 December 2019 Access Online

"The author argues that the confrontation and bargaining between the street and the oligarchy will continue, and its outcome will depend on which of the two proves more resilient and adaptive."

Political upheaval in Lebanon and Iraq Paul Salem ; Randa Slim; Alistair Taylor Middle East Institute, 31 October 2019 Listen to podcast

"MEI’s Paul Salem and Randa Slim join host Alistair Taylor to discuss the nationwide protests that have swept through Lebanon and Iraq this week resulting in political and economic turmoil as well as crackdowns by security forces."

The Deadly Protests Shaking Iraq: What to Know Max Boot Council on Foreign Relations, 30 October 2019 Access Online

"This article looks at the protest that occurred in Iraq during 2019. Iraq’s struggling economy and government corruption sparked the protests, in which hundreds have died. The author argues that the governing elite appeared shaky, and the stability of the country was at stake."

Iraqi youth protesters: Who they are, what they want, and what’s next Haley Bobseine Middle East Institute, 14 October 2019 Access Online

"Long-standing complaints, compounded by recent events such as the late-September 2019 crackdown on protests calling for employment opportunities for university graduates, removal of informal housing settlements, and the demotion of popular Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi, are among the various reasons propelling protesters to the streets. The author argues that whatever one’s exact reason, most agreed that political elites have reneged on their promise to reform and the system needs an overhaul."

Iraq Is Currently Being Shaken by Violent Protests Harith Hasan Carnegie Middle East Center, 4 October 2019 Access Online

"Iraq has been caught up in a wave of protests. These are effectively a continuation of protests that began in 2011 and reached a peak last year in Basra. The author argues that what has primarily driven these protests are socioeconomic demands, anger with poor governance, and a rejection of rampant corruption in state institutions, as well as their becoming fiefdoms for political and paramilitary factions."

Illusions of victory: the Anbar awakening and the rise of the Islamic State Carter Malkasian New York: Oxford University Press, 2017 Request via Eureka Listen to Malkasian’s talk with POMEPS, 3 August 2017.

"In the immediate aftermath of the 2007 "Surge" of American troops in Iraq, the defeat of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) in the Anbar Province was widely hailed as one of the US signature victories. Eventually, the fractious tribal sheiks, with the help of American troops, united in an ‘Awakening’ that dealt AQI a stunning defeat. The Awakening's success argued that the US could intervene in a war-torn country and bring stability. A decade later, the situation in Anbar Province is different. In 2014, much of Anbar fell to the AQI's successor organisation, the “Islamic State”, which swept through the region. In this book, Malkasian begins by tracing the origins of the Awakening, then what happened in its wake. After the United States left, Iraq's Shi'a government side-lined Sunni leaders throughout the country. AQI, brought back to life as Daesh, expanded in northern and western Iraq and quickly found a receptive audience among marginalised Sunnis. In short order, the progress that had resulted from the Awakening fell apart."

Counter jihad: America's military experience in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria Brian Glyn Williams Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017 Request via Eureka

"Counter Jihad seeks to explain America's military campaigns in the Islamic world. The book attempts to provide a retrospective on the extraordinary series of conflicts that saw the US deploy more than two and a half million men and women to fight in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Brian Glyn Williams traces these unfolding wars from their origins in the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan through U.S. Central Command's ongoing campaign to "degrade and destroy" the hybrid terrorist group known as ISIS."

Contesting borders? The formation of Iraqi Kurdistan's de facto state Johannes Jüde International Affairs, 2017, Vol. 93(4), pp.847-863 Access via Eureka

"The Kurds are the largest territorially concentrated ethnic group in the world without its own nation state. However, the Iraqi Kurdish population has been striving to establish its own political order for more than two decades and, in northern Iraq, a markedly developed de facto state has emerged. Iraqi Kurdistan has established a considerable degree of autonomy and domestic sovereignty, which is particularly impressive considering the current state of its parent state Iraq. This success is puzzling, when considered alongside the most prominent theory of state formation, which argues that it is war that makes states. War does not explain the Kurdish state-making process. Rather, it has been a major setback for the Iraqi Kurds after 1991. This suggests an alternative theory of state formation, which argues that social coalitions of key elites can account for successful state- building. This article argues that the social coalition of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which sustained state-building in northern Iraq, emerged and stabilised because of external incentives."

Iraq: people, history, politics Gareth R. V. Stansfield Cambridge, England ; Malden, Massachusetts: Polity, 2016 Request via Eureka

"Few countries can claim to have endured such a difficult and tortuous history as that of Iraq. Its varied peoples have had to contend with externally imposed state-building at the end of the First World War, through to the rise of authoritarian military regimes, to the all-encompassing power of Saddam Husseins dictatorship. They have endured destructive wars, internationally-imposed sanctions, and a further bout of destabilizing regime change and subsequent state-building from 2003. The recent rise of the Islamic State, the consolidation of the Kurdistan Region, and the response of the Shii populace have brought the country to a de facto partition that may bring about Iraqs final demise. The second edition of Iraq: People, History, Politics provides a comprehensive analysis of the political, societal, and economic dynamics that have governed Iraqs modern development."

Hans Blix: Reducing the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction Hans Blix The University of Edinburgh, November 2008 Access video online

"In February 2004, Dr. Hans Blix, the former Chief UN Weapons Inspector in Iraq, spoke to over 1200 students and members of the public in the University of Edinburgh's McEwan Hall. In the lecture, entitled Reducing the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction: the lessons of Iraq, Dr. Blix set out his views on the lead-up to the Iraq war."

American invasion of Iraq: causes and consequences Raymond Hinnebusch Perceptions, 2007, Vol.12(1), pp. 9-27 Access Online

"Examines the causes of the US invasion terms of US global grand strategy, the US strategic position in the Middle East and the interests of the ruling coalition. Focuses on the consequences: the destruction of Iraq; radical empowerment in the Middle East; and the expenditure of US soft power and legitimacy as a hegemon globally and in the region."

Foreign affairs

Containing Tehran: Understanding Iran’s Power and Exploiting Its Vulnerabilities Seth G. Jones Center for Strategic & International Studies, January 2020 Access Online

"This report highlights in what manner the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC- QF) has supported a growing number of non-state fighters in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Pakistan - including nearly a 50 percent increase since 2016. The author argues Iran's influence has resulted in these forces becoming better equipped with more sophisticated weapons and systems."

Iran-Iraq War: the lion of Babylon, 1980-1988 Anthony Tucker-Jones Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Military, 2018 Request via Eureka

"The bloody eight-year Iran-Iraq war is now almost forgotten, overshadowed by the subsequent Gulf War and Iraq War. However, it is best remembered for the unique so-called 'Tanker War' which threatened to strangle the world's oil supplies. At the time Tucker-Jones as a defence analyst wrote extensively on the war and now brings his expertise to bear with this account of a conflict fuelled by festering regional rivalries, the Cold War and the emerging threat posed by militant Shia Islam. Fought on land, at sea and in the air using some of the most modern weapons money could buy, Western-backed Saddam Hussein's Sunni Iraq and Shia Iran under the ayatollahs fought themselves to a standstill. Once Saddam's armoured blitzkrieg had been halted and Iran's human-wave counterattacks fought off, it became a war of attrition with major battles fought for the possession of Khorramshahr and Basra. Both sides resorted to chemical weapons and bombarding each other with missiles. When the war spilled over into the waters of the Gulf it sparked open Western intervention. Escalating attacks on oil tankers finally culminated in a ceasefire."

Iran and Iraq In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; James J. Walsh (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"In this chapter, Walsh tries to explain the various factors in this complex relationship by illustrating how the relationship has changed from the post-monarchic Iraq/the Shah of Iran to its current form."

Iraq: The View from the GCC Margo Balboni Center for Strategic & International Studies, February 2017 Access Online

"This report analyzes Gulf states' policies towards Iraq before and after Iraq's 2014 leadership transition. Riyadh in particular has retreated from efforts to wield practical influence in Iraq. Hopes briefly raised by the ouster of Nouri al-Maliki gave way to reinforced mutual suspicion. Other Gulf states have pursued divergent approaches to Iraq based on their varying perceptions of opportunities and threats, but Kuwait alone has pursued a strategic state-to-state relationship with Iraq."

The Persian Gulf War and the War in Iraq Elizabeth Schmermund New York, NY : Enslow Publishing , 2017 Request via Eureka

"Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and Americans were killed during the Persian Gulf War, which lasted from 1990 to 1991, and the Iraq War, which lasted from 2003 to 2011. The author attempts to give an in-depth look at the complicated relationship between Iraq and the United States, the reasons behind these two wars and the decision-makers."

The Iran-Iraq war: Saddam Hussein's attack in the Middle East Corentin de Favereau ; Carly Probert (translator) Brussels, Belgium: 50Minutes.com, 2016 Request via Eureka

"On 22 September 1980, Saddam Hussein attacked the Shatt al-Arab with the aim of annexing territories around it. This marked the start of a protracted war between Iraq and Iran. After eight years of hostilities that included the controversial use of chemical weapons, the war finally came to an end, with neither side achieving significant gains and both suffering a devastating number of casualties. This book will explain the political and social contexts of the and analyse the outcome of the war and its impact on Iran, Iraq and the countries that supported them."

Operation desert storm: the invasion of Kuwait and the second Gulf War Giles Rahier ; Mathieu Roger ; Carly Probert (translator) Brussels, Belgium: 50Minutes.com, 2016 Request via Eureka

"Iraq’s decision to invade Kuwait, home to one of the largest oil fields in the world, in 1990 caused panic in the international community. Consequently, in early 1991 a coalition of international forces, the largest military alliance since the Second World War, intervened to drive the Iraqi army out of Kuwait, inflicting huge losses on Saddam Hussein’s forces in the process. This book analyses the outcome of the battle and its impact on the Middle East."

KUWAIT Kuwait and the EU Remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini at the opening ceremony of the EU Delegation to Kuwait Federica Mogherini [Kuwait City]: EEAS, 14 July 2019 Access Online Access video

"’In a moment of regional and global tensions, Kuwait is a voice of wisdom and a force for peace. And this is what has made us natural partners in these difficult times.’ Those were the words of High Representative/Vice-President, Federica Mogherini at the opening of the Delegation of the EU to the State of Kuwait on 14 July 2019."

Domestic affairs

Kuwait's politics before independence: the role of the balancing powers Abdulrahman Alebrahim Berlin, Germany: Gerlach Press, 2019 Request via Eureka

"This book re-examines the historiography of constitutional development in Kuwait. It argues that existing scholarship on the subject has several shortcomings due to the lack of consideration given to the role played by some important social forces in the Kuwaiti political scene. Most historians working on Kuwait's modern politics have focussed on two forces: the ruling family and the merchants. Although these two actors have undeniably been the most influential, other segments of society, such as the labour force, the villagers, the intelligentsia and the religious scholars, should not be overlooked. These forces have had a decisive impact, with varying levels of influence across time, on the balance of power in Kuwait. This book generates new insights by considering the role of these balancing forces in influencing the struggle between the sheikhs and the merchants over the nature of the political system in Kuwait between 1921 and 1962."

Kuwait transformed: a history of oil and urban life Farah Al-Nakib Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2016 Request via Eureka

"As the first Gulf city to experience oil urbanisation, Kuwait City's transformation in the mid-twentieth century inaugurated a now-familiar regional narrative: a small traditional town of mudbrick courtyard houses transformed into a modern city with marble-fronted buildings and wide highways. In Kuwait Transformed, Farah Al-Nakib connects the city's past and present. She traces the relationships between the urban landscape, patterns and practices of everyday life, and social behaviours and relations in Kuwait. The history that emerges reveals how decades of urban planning, suburbanization, and privatization have eroded an open, tolerant society and given rise to the insularity, xenophobia, and divisiveness that characterize Kuwaiti social relations today. The book makes a call for a restoration of the city that modern planning eliminated."

Foreign affairs

Kuwait, Oman, and the Qatar Crisis Giorgio Cafiero ; Theodore Karasik Middle East Institute, 22 June 2017 Access Online

"The ongoing Qatar crisis poses a major dilemma for Kuwait and Oman. Consistent with their “neutral” foreign policies, these two Arab Gulf states have maintained ties with Doha and seek to resolve the gravest internal Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.) row since the organization’s establishment in 1981. Officials in Kuwait City and Muscat fear that failure to settle the Qatar crisis will break up the council, which would directly undermine vital Kuwaiti and Omani national interests given the potential for such a scenario to dramatically exacerbate regional geopolitical instability."

Iran and Kuwait In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Hamad H. Albloshi (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"In this chapter, Albloshi explains the relationship between the two countries. Albloshi argues that the relationship has been influenced and shaped by both local and regional factors, commencing from the Iranian Revolution in 1979."

Kuwait: conditions, issues, and foreign relations Sheldon Tyler (Ed.) New York, New York: Novinka, 2016 Request via Eureka

"Kuwait remains pivotal to U.S. efforts to secure the Persian Gulf region because of its consistent cooperation with U.S. strategy and operations in the region and its proximity to both Iran and Iraq. Kuwait has a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States dating back to the aftermath of the February 1991 U.S.-led expulsion of Iraqi occupation forces from Kuwait. The pact enables the United States to maintain forces in Kuwait that are crucial to the U.S. ability to project power in the region and to combat against the Islamic State. Kuwait has received no U.S. foreign assistance in recent years; it has been a significant donor to U.S. operations in the region since Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. This book reviews the conditions, issues and foreign relations of Kuwait."

OMAN Oman and the EU Joint Statement by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the High Representative on the passing of Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman Charles Michel ; Ursula von der Leyen ; Josep Borrell [Brussels]: European Council, 11 January 2020 Access Online

"The European Union will continue to work towards consolidating a strong and enduring partnership with the Sultanate of Oman and its people."

Domestic Ban Versus Border Rejections: A Case of Oman’s Fish Exports to the EU Shekar Bose ; Amina Marhoon Rashid Al Naabi ; Houcine Boughanmi et al. SAGE Open, 2019, pp.1-12 Access Online

"The decline of Oman’s fish exports to the European Union (EU) since mid-2000s has caused legitimate concerns among some policy makers and exporters. However, the potential reasons for the decline have not been fully elucidated. To ascertain the underlying causes of such decline, this article empirically examines the relative significance of potential economic and policy-related factors such as border rejections influenced by health and safety measures, supply and demand capacities, domestic ban, domestic structural changes, and exchange rate fluctuations on Oman’s Council of the European Union Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België Tel. +32 (0)2 281 65 25 Follow us http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/library-blog/ - #EUCOlibrary 45/71

fish exports to the EU. The results obtained from the dynamic unbalanced panel data model for the period 2000-2013 indicate that fish exports to the EU markets have been influenced by the domestic ban on export, domestic structural changes, and exchange rate fluctuations rather than by border rejections. These findings provide important signal to policy makers of the respective countries in designing adaptive policy approach to address such influences."

EU and Oman sign a Cooperation Arrangement Federica Mogherini ; Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah [Brussels]: EEAS, 20 September 2018 Access Online

"Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, in September 2018 with His Excellency, the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Mr Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah."

Domestic affairs Oman: Assessing Sultan Qaboos' Half-Century Legacy Julia Craig Romano The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, January 2020 Access Online

"Oman’s modern identity has been undeniably interlinked with the life and work of Sultan Qaboos, and Oman likely has a potentially difficult transition ahead. The author argues that this transition will be especially troublesome for the new sultan: Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, who Qaboos personally selected to succeed him in a document that was kept private until after his passing."

Oman’s new Sultan needs to take bold economic steps John Sfakianakis Chatham House, 16 January 2020 Access Online

"The transition of power in Oman from the deceased Sultan Qaboos to his nephew and the country’s new ruler, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, has been smooth and quick, but the new sultan will soon find that he has a task in shoring up the country’s economic position. Sfakianakis argues that the fiscal and debt profile of the country requires careful management."

As Oman enters a new era, economic and political challenges persist Yasmina Abouzzohour Brookings, 15 January 2020 Access Online

"Oman under Qaboos was plagued with economic hardship and a closed political scene that led to various episodes of dissidence. The economy’s limitations and the expectations of a changing

population will likely cause protests to multiply in the near future. The author argues that the new sultan must therefore focus on job creation, diversifying Oman’s economy away from natural resources, and introducing controlled political reforms."

After Qaboos: The future of Oman and Gulf geopolitics Cinzia Bianco European Council on Foreign Relations, 14 January 2020 Access Online

"The author argues that the fractious context of the Gulf means Oman’s new ruler could soon find himself seeking to emulate his predecessor and championing regional diplomatic dialogue."

Oman’s new era Giorgio Cafiero Middle East Institute, 13 January 2020 Access Online

"The announcement of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al-Said’s passing on Jan. 10 marked the end of an era. Now that the Arab world lost its longest-serving leader, no Gulf state has a ruler who was on the throne when the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established in 1981. Most Omanis have never known another leader and this transition period, marked by three days of mourning, is an emotional time for those in the sultanate. This article assesses Oman’s role as a peacemaker and its regional and international position."

Oman in the 21st century: issues and challenges Ahmed Nawaz Hakro New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2019 Request via Eureka

"The Sultanate of Oman is known for its internal peace, tranquillity and political harmony. The country has long been a success story of growth and development in the region. The past few decades of development have not only brought about developmental transformation but have also improved the governance, standards of living and prosperity of its population. However, the recent economic globalization and technological changes have posed a number of challenges for the depleting resources of the Sultanate of Oman."

'Without Sultan Qaboos, We Would Be Yemen': The Renaissance Narrative and the Political Settlement in Oman Sarah G. Phillips ; Jennifer S. Hunt Journal of International Development, 2017, Vol.29 (5), pp.645-661 Access via Eureka

"Oman's developmental trajectory is a 'positive outlier' to most post-colonial states, particularly those with significant natural resource reserves. Its trajectory confounds many of the usual expectations surrounding the impact of rentier incomes on conflict and inclusive development. This piece attempts to disentangle the threads of Oman's apparent good fortune to reveal characteristics of its political settlement that may (and may not) have salience elsewhere. This paper spotlights the influence of narrative and the non-domestic factors that played pivotal roles in the formation and evolution of the political settlement, suggesting that both have generally been understated within the literature to date."

Foreign affairs Remembering Oman’s Sultan Qaboos, a critical interlocutor for the US in the Middle East Bruce Riedel Brookings, January 2020 Access Online

"Qaboos bin Said Al Said passed away January 10, 2020. Riedel assesses the former Sultan of Oman role in the region as well the countries relationship with the US."

Omán: entre Irán y un lugar difícil Oman: between Iran and a hard place Camille Lons European Council on Foreign Relations, May 2018 Access Online

"Oman has historically been careful to balance its relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran, allowing it to play a useful role mediating regional disputes. However, as the region’s anti-Iran rhetoric is ramping up and the Sultanate is having to deal with its own domestic issues, neutrality is becoming harder to maintain."

Foreign Policy Activism in Saudi Arabia and Oman: Diverging Narratives and Stances towards the Syrian and Yemeni Conflicts Silvia Colombo The International Spectator, 03 April 2017, Vol.52(2), pp.54-70 Access via Eureka

"Amid growing animosity and security concerns in the Middle East, the Gulf region appears to be on the way to becoming the new centre of gravity of regional equilibria. The increasingly active

foreign policy postures of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is a key aspect of the new regional order in the making. Saudi Arabia and Oman are two examples of this trend. Their involvement in the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts reveals important differences regarding the aims, narratives, political and military postures, strategies and alliances pursued by Riyadh and Muscat and casts a shadow over the future of GCC cooperation and integration."

Iran-Oman relations since the 1970s: a mutually beneficial modus vivendi In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Marc Valeri (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"In this chapter, Valeri analyses the bilateral relations via looking at the religious and demographic factors as well as how the relationship has evolved since the Dhofar War to the Rouhani presidency."

Iran's nuclear diplomacy: a response from Oman In: An uncertain future: regional responses to Iran’s Nuclear Programme Mohammed Mahfoodh Al Ardhi The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, January 2014 Access Online

"For the Gulf as a whole, Iran’s nuclear ambitions represents the most serious ongoing threat to the security of the region as a whole. However, there is diversity of opinion, reflecting important differences in the strategic circumstances and historical experiences of each Gulf state. Not least Oman with its trading and geographical proximity to Iran."

QATAR Qatar and the EU The crisis of the GCC and the role of the European Union Máté Szalai Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture, September 2018 Access Online

"Most of the international community was caught by surprise on 5 June 2017 when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced that they had cut their diplomatic ties with Qatar and were putting it under an effective embargo. The existence of tensions in the Gulf was well known, but a rupture of this magnitude among the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was not foreseeable. Nonetheless, a divided Gulf became a lasting reality to which each regional and global power, including the European Union, must accommodate its strategy."

EU and Qatar sign a Cooperation Arrangement Federica Mogherini ; Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani [Brussels]: EEAS, 7 March 2018 Access Online

"Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, met with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar."

Domestic affairs Political reforms in Qatar: from authoritarianism to political grey zone Cihat Battaloğlu Berlin, Germany: Gerlach Press, 2018 Request via Eureka

"In the past decade, Qatar has emerged as one of the world's most proactive mediators in the international arena. It has also experienced a number of domestic changes to its economic infrastructure, welfare system and political system. Despite such radical and rapid advances, political reform in Qatar has proved to be relatively tentative. This book examines political reforms in Qatar from an analytical, normative, ideological and empirical perspective. It applies the main concepts and theories found in the literature on democratic transition. The book also presents different aspects of political reform in Qatar, including those prior to the formation of the state. "

Policy-Making in a Transformative State The Case of Qatar M. Evren Tok ; Lolwah R. M Alkhater ; Leslie A Pal (Eds.) London: Palgrave Macmillan UK: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016 Request via Eureka

"This book explores, in a series of detailed case studies, how public policy is actually made in Qatar. While Qatar is a Gulf monarchy, its governance is complex. Qatar is deliberately engaged in a rapid process of radical economic and societal transformation. That process has its contradictions and tensions, particularly with regards to achieving a balance between Islam, social traditions, and modernity. This book explores how it also has a specific policy dynamic of generating ideas and institutions, developing policy and program designs, implementation and coordination. "

Qatar: A Modern History Allen J, Fromherz Washington, DC, Georgetown University Press, 2012 Request via Eureka

"What role does Qatar play in the Middle East and how does it differ from the other Gulf states? How has the ruling Al-Thani family shaped Qatar from a traditional tribal society and British protectorate to a modern state? Allen J. Fromherz presents a full portrait that analyses Qatar's crucial role in the Middle East and its growing regional influence within a broader historical context. Fromherz gives particular weight to the nation's economic and social history, from its modest origins in the pearling and fishing industries to the considerable economic clout it exerts today, a clout that comes with having the second-highest natural gas reserves in the region. He also looks at what the future holds for Qatar's economy as the country tries to diversify beyond oil and gas. Furthermore, the book examines the paradox of Qatar where monarchy, traditional tribal culture, and conservative Islamic values appear to coexist with ultra-modern development and a large population of foreign workers who outnumber Qatari citizens."

Foreign affairs Soleimani’s Death: A Crippling Blow to the Iranian Regime Ray Takeyh Council on Foreign Relations, 3 January 2020 Access Online

"The author argues that the U.S. targeted killing of commander Qasem Soleimani marks a further weakening of Iran’s regime in its struggle against the United States and its ability to project influence in the Mideast."

The Mideast Just Turned More Dangerous Steven A. Cook Council on Foreign Relations, 3 January 2020 Access Online

"The author argues the killing in Baghdad of Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani escalates an already tense contest in Iraq between U.S. and Iran-backed forces, makes the battle against the Islamic State more difficult, and is likely to feed further regional upheaval."

Why Doha should worry: the case for an Iran-Qatar non-aggression pact Maysam Behravesh ; Giorgio Cafiero Middle East Institute, November 2019 Access Online

"Fears of a large-scale war in the Middle East remain heightened as the U.S. continues ratcheting up sanctions against Iran while Tehran takes measures to scale back its restrictive commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The latest sign of Iranian retaliation against the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear accord was its decision, confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Nov. 11, to begin refining uranium at its Fordow underground enrichment facility. To what extent this cycle of escalation can persist without triggering a major conflagration between the Islamic Republic on the one hand and the U.S. may be the most pressing strategic question facing the region today. Qatar finds itself in a uniquely vulnerable position, in part due to its inescapable entanglement in Iranian-American tensions, but also compounded by its major foreign policy differences with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Thus, for Doha, it is essential to find a way to avoid being caught up in any potential U.S.-Iran conflict. "

The Gulf Divided: the impact of the Qatar Crisis Jane Kinninmont Chatham House, May 2019 Access Online

"Since June 2017, Qatar has been subject to a boycott by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt (the Arab Quartet). This has created a deep and lasting rift with ripple effects across the

Middle East and Horn of Africa. It has also divided the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), hitherto one of the only functioning regional organizations in the Arab world, which has in effect been suspended because three of its members are boycotting Qatar. The main reason for the rift is that the countries of the Arab Quartet object to Qatar’s support for political Islamist movements across the Middle East, in particular the Muslim Brotherhood. However, the Quartet has raised the stakes with a list of 13, wide-ranging demands for Qatar to change its policies – including that Qatar should close down highly influential state-funded broadcaster, Al Jazeera. This demand has helped Qatar to contend that it is being punished for supporting pro-democracy movements and free media, rather than acknowledge that some of the Quartet’s criticisms may be justified. This paper lays out in some detail the reasons for the dispute, and suggests some elements of a possible future resolution."

The Qatar Crisis Marc Lynch ; Sean Yom ; F. Gregory Gause III et al. POMEPS, October 2017 Access Online

"On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates launched a campaign against Qatar. Tensions between these Gulf Cooperation Council members were nothing new, but few anticipated the sudden escalation or the intensity of the campaign. The anti-Qatar campaign leaders then failed to achieve a rapid resolution of the crisis in their favour through a Qatari capitulation. The GCC remains badly divided and both sides are increasingly entrenched in their positions This collection of essays is divided into four major sections: the origins and course of the current conflict; regional responses; how the Arab uprisings impacted the GCC; and background on the divisive question of Islamism and the Muslim Brotherhood."

Status and Foreign Policy Change in Small States: Qatar's Emergence in Perspective Babak Mohammadzadeh The International Spectator, 03 April 2017, Vol.52(2), pp.19-36 Access via Eureka

"Small states are just as easily seduced by status and glory as other states. When conceived as situated in a stratified international society, small states acquire an inherent tendency to overcome their disadvantage in conventional power terms through the pursuit of status. Hence, it is precisely because of their position in the international hierarchy, not in spite of it, that strategic ideas based on state size stimulate foreign policy change in small states. This mechanism provides an explanation to the question why the small state of Qatar has pursued such a high-profile diplomatic strategy since its emergence in the late 1990s."

Iran-Qatar relations In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Mehran Kamrava (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"This chapter analyses the political circumstances of which the Iran-Qatar relationship has developed. By examining events from prior the Iranian Revolution to the 2000s, the author argues that the two nations share close ties."

Turkey and Qatar in the Tangled Geopolitics of the Middle East Birol Başkan New York: Palgrave Macmillan US: Imprint: Palgrave Pivot, 2016 Request via Eureka

"This book narrates how Turkey and Qatar have come to forge a mutually special relationship. The book argues that throughout the 2000s Turkey and Qatar had pursued similar foreign policies and aligned their positions on many critical and controversial issues. By doing so, however, they increasingly isolated themselves in the Middle East as states challenging the status quo. The claim made here is that it is this isolation— which became acute in the summer of 2013 - that led the two countries to forge much stronger relations."

SAUDI ARABIA

Saudi Arabia and the EU Statement by the Spokesperson on the attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia [Brussels]: EEAS, 15 September 2019 Access Online

"It is important to clearly establish the facts and determine responsibility for this deplorable attack. At the same time the European Union repeats its call for maximum restraint and de-escalation."

You never listen to me: The European-Saudi relationship after Khashoggi Beth Oppenheim Centre for European Reform, 2 May 2019 Access Online

"This policy brief argues that EU policy should respond to the destabilising effect of MbS’s Saudi Wahhabi doctrine, rather than restate traditional arguments about the benefits of trade and security co-operation. The brief maps the state of European-Saudi relations, arguing that the relationship is skewed in favour of Saudi Arabia, despite the kingdom’s significant dependencies on Europe. The brief then lays out the steps that the author recommends the EU and its member-states should take to create a coherent strategy towards Saudi Arabia: by achieving more convergence on European arms export policy for the kingdom, engaging in deeper dialogue on regional issues, supporting a UN-led investigation into the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and increasing support for Saudi activists, as well as for cultural and education projects."

Domestic affairs Murder in Istanbul - Jamal Khashoggi, Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia Owen Wilson Place of publication not identified: Gibson Square, 2019 Request via Eureka

"On 2 October 2018, Saudi-royal courtier and writer Jamal Khashoggi was trapped by his palace peers into entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Once there, he was killed in cold blood in the consul-general’s library in one of the world’s most infamous conspiracies of the twenty-first century. His body was dismembered by palace officials in fifteen parts and packed into five suitcases that were left at the consul- general’s home. The author argues that the courtier’s murder had far-reaching consequences and several world figures became the sworn enemies of the brutal de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Mohammed, during the aftermath of the conspiracy."

After Aramco: Will halting Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia end Yemen’s war? Ibrahim Jalal Middle East Institute, 1 October 2019 Access Online

"On Sep. 20, Mahdi al-Mashat, a senior leader in the Houthi insurgency (Ansar Allah), announced that the group would halt attacks on Saudi Arabia, whether by drones or missiles, in the hopes that the kingdom would reciprocate. At a time when the Houthis have been relentless in asserting their responsibility for the unprecedented Sep. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities at Abqaiq and Khurais, the importance of such a move must not be exaggerated, but nor should it come as a surprise to policymakers in London, Washington, or Brussels."

After the Aramco attack: a Middle East one step closer to its “1914 Moment” International Crisis Group, September 2019 Access Online

"On 14 September, strikes of uncertain provenance hit Saudi Arabia’s largest oil facilities, taking some 50 per cent of the kingdom’s oil production temporarily offline. Crisis Group offers a 360- degree view of the attacks and their implications for Middle Eastern and international peace and security."

Saudi Arabia as a Model In: The Politics of Rentier States in the Gulf Michael Herb ; Marc Lynch ; Ishac Diwan et al. POMEPS, January 2019 Access Online

"More than two generations have passed since oil transformed the economies and societies of the Gulf monarchies. Gulf citizens enjoy opportunities unimaginable without oil wealth and have the security of a comprehensive welfare state. But how sustainable are the Gulf economies? Citizen populations continue to grow, oil reserves continue to fall, technological advances could lessen world demand for the Gulf’s oil, and price fluctuations make planning difficult. Most Gulf monarchies have made little progress in transitioning away from oil despite these widely-recognized incipient problems. Periods of lower oil prices are met with deficit spending until prices rise again, rather than serious economic restructuring. They have built economies with deep structural imbalances that make it more rather than less difficult to reduce their reliance on oil – and political orders which are deeply constituted by those imbalances and threatened by reform. The section Saudi Arabia as a Model assesses Saudi Arabia’s labour market reforms and what form Saudi economy needs to change to be able to exist in a post-rentier society."

Le prince mystère de l'Arabie: Mohammed ben Salman, les mirages d'un pouvoir absolu Christine Ockrent Paris: Robert Laffont, 2018 Available at Council Library Main Collection (105496)

"Qui est Mohammed ben Salman, qui bouscule l'Arabie Saoudite et séduit les Occidentaux ? A 32 ans, Mohammed ben Salman, dit MBS, est le prince héritier d'Arabie Saoudite. Il est le premier petit-fils d'Ibn al-Saoud – le fondateur du royaume qui porte son nom – à accéder au pouvoir. Richissime descendant d'une dynastie féodale, il veut transformer son pays en profondeur en réduisant sa dépendance au pétrole, en mettant les Saoudiens au travail et en accordant aux femmes le droit de conduire. Mais derrière cette façade progressiste, le mystère et les contradictions demeurent. Obsédé par la menace iranienne, prêt à se rapprocher d'Israël par l'entremise de Washington, il mène depuis 2015 une guerre sans fin au Yémen, où sévit l'une des plus graves crises humanitaires contemporaines. Le roi, son père, a 82 ans. S'il lui succède comme prévu, Mohammed ben Salman pourrait régner un demi-siècle."

Salman's legacy: the dilemmas of a new era in Saudi Arabia Madawi Al-Rasheed (Ed.) New York: Oxford University Press, 2018 Request via Eureka

"King Salman of Saudi Arabia began his rule in 2015 confronted with a series of unprecedented challenges. The dilemmas he has faced are new and significant, from leadership shuffles and falling oil prices to regional and international upheaval. Salman's Legacy interrogates this era and assesses its multiple social, political, regional and international challenges. Whether Salman's policies have saved the kingdom from serious upheaval is yet to be seen, but no doubt a new kingdom is emerging. This book offers historical and contemporary insights into the various problems that persist in haunting the Saudi state."

Saudi Arabia at a Crossroads Annalisa Perteghella (Ed.) ; Cinzia Bianco ; Giorgio Cafiero et al. Italian Institute for International Political Studies, November 2018 Access Online

"Since Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s de facto takeover of Saudi Arabia’s rule, the kingdom has been trying to adapt and adjust to his reformism. From the promotion of Vision 2030, which opened up to top-down socio-economic reforms to an assertive foreign policy – the push for the embargo on Qatar and the conflict in Yemen, above all – the Crown Prince has been in the spotlight both domestically and internationally. While opportunities lie ahead, so do challenges. As the country is one of the major powers in the Middle East, and the second largest holder of oil reserves worldwide, its transformations could greatly affect not only the region, but the rest of the world as well. This report investigates the possible consequences of the reforms brought about by MbS in the Saudi economy and society, the effects of his centralisation of power and the impact on regional stability."

Saudi Arabia: A prince’s revolution Jihan Chara European View, October 2018, Vol.17(2), pp.227-234 Access via Eureka

"The author argues that Saudi Arabia has been anxious to re-establish its leadership in the GCC region through disruptive structural changes. Even though it remains difficult to make sense of these reforms, many analysts have speculated about their purported future relevance. This article argues that the changes undermine the social contract that has prevailed in the kingdom for decades, whereby citizens enjoy material comfort in exchange for their loyalty to the regime. Thus these changes threaten to destabilise the country, with potential lasting effects on the region and collateral consequences for Europe."

Saudi Arabia as a Resurgent Regional Power Anoushiravan Ehteshami The International Spectator, 02 October 2018, Vol.53(4), pp.75-94 Access via Eureka

"Ever since the 1980s, the MENA subsystem has been weakening under the weight of persistent inter-state conflict, violent non-state and sub-state actor incursions, and intense competition for influence and geopolitical advantage amongst its core states. Furthermore, a domino-like collapse of autocratic regimes across the Arab region after 2010 heralded an unprecedented level of disorder, insecurity and chaos. Regional disorder and the general crisis of the state in the Arab region has aggravated regional fragmentation and has at the same time emboldened Saudi Arabia and a small group of its neighbours to adopt a more interventionist, and at times belligerent foreign policy posture. The region’s changing dynamics provide the backdrop for closer analysis of Saudi

responses to the regional crisis, which itself has been shaped by the changing of the guard in the Kingdom in 2015. The change is marked by an intensification of Saudi activism and a deepening of its role as a resurgent regional power."

Arabie saoudite: de l'influence à la décadence Ardavan Amir-Aslani Paris: L'Archipel, 2017 Available at Council Library Main Collection (104727)

"Cette dynastie tire son pouvoir d’un pacte vieux de deux siècles entre un prédicateur wahhabite et un émir. Alliance du sabre et du turban qui assura son hégémonie sur la péninsule et sur les lieux saints, permettant au courant le plus conservateur et sectaire de l’islam de diffuser sa pensée dans l’ensemble du monde arabomusulman – et au-delà. Depuis 2013, le pays pâtit d’une baisse des cours du pétrole qui menace de faire s’effondrer ce colossal édifice. Ses alliés historiques jugent de plus en plus sévèrement ses liens troubles avec le terrorisme islamiste. Confronté à la désaffection croissante des États-Unis et au retour de l’Iran sur la scène diplomatique, le régime échappera-t-il à l’implosion?"

A history of Saudi Arabia Madawi Al-Rasheed Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010 Available at Council Library Main Collection (092585)

"This updated edition analyses the challenges, both internal and external, facing Saudi Arabia in the twenty-first century. Two new chapters discuss the political, economic and social developments in the aftermath of 9/11, painting a vivid picture of a country shocked by terrorism and condemned by the international community. Madawi Al-Rasheed reveals that fragmentation of royal politics, a failing economy and fermenting Islamist dissent posed serious threats to state and society in 2001. She assesses the consequent state reforms introduced under pressure of terrorism, international scrutiny and a social mobilisation of men, women and minorities struggling to shape their future against a background of repression and authoritarian rule."

Foreign affairs Cold War in the Islamic World: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the struggle for supremacy Dilip Hiro New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2019 Request via Eureka

"For four decades Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran have vied for influence in the Muslim world. At the heart of this ongoing Cold War between Riyadh and Tehran lie the Sunni-Shia divide, and the two countries’ diverse histories, socio-economic compositions, and claims to exceptionalism. Saudis present their rivalry with Iran stemming from conflict between Sunnis and Shias. But, according to Iran's ruling clerics, their republic is founded on Islamic precepts whereas Saudis’ dynastic rule lacks legitimacy in Islam. This foundational schism has played out in a geopolitical competition for dominance in the region and beyond: Iran has acquired influence in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, while Saudi Arabia's hyperactive crown prince, Muhammad bin Salman, has intervened in the Yemeni civil war against the Tehran-backed Houthis, and tried to destabilize Lebanon and isolate neighbouring Qatar. In his lucid narrative, Dilip Hiro examines the toxic rivalry between the two nations, tracing its roots to the eighteen-century Arabia, and examines whether the current Cold War in the Islamic world is likely to end in the near future."

Threats and alliances in the Middle East: Saudi and Syrian policies in a turbulent region May Darwich Cambridge, England : Cambridge University Press , 2019 Request via Eureka

"Examining differing perceptions of threats and the subsequent alliance choices of two Arab states, Saudi Arabia and Syria, during three pivotal wars in the region: the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), the Lebanon War (2006), and the Gaza War (2009), May Darwich analyses how ideational and material forces influence leaders' perceptions in the Middle East, and their broader international relationships. Using these comparative cases studies, Darwich advances our understanding of why, and the conditions under which, identity can play a predominant role in shaping the perception of threat in some cases, whilst material power is predominant in others."

Saudi Foreign Policy 1932-2001: Egypt, Turkey, and Regional In: Aspiring Powers, Regional Rivals: Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the New Middle East David Dumke The Middle East Institute ; University of Central Florida, December 2019 Access Online

"In this article, David Dumke explains the Saudis’ regional outlook and Riyadh’s relations with Egypt and Turkey from 1932 to 2001. This study attempts to understand the general state of affairs between three key regional countries: Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The author argues that given that regime survival has become one of the main priorities for all of these actors, more attention should be given to domestic factors in these countries to better understand the complex dynamics among them."

Drone Attacks on Saudi Oil Infrastructure are a Calibrated Message from Iran Micha’el Tanchum Istituto Affari Internazionali, May 2019 Access Online

"The 14 May 2019 drone attack on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia, allegedly carried out by Iranian-supported Houthi forces in Yemen, was a sophisticated operation. Coming at a time of increased tensions in the region, and notwithstanding Iranian denials, the attack represents a carefully calibrated response to the tightening of oil sanctions against Iran and the US Trump administration’s policy of “maximum pressure” on Tehran. The attacks were preceded three days earlier by acts of sabotage against ships in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) oil port of Fujairah. Taken together, these attacks against oil export infrastructure of the leading Gulf state members of the anti-Iran bloc are a signal that the collective ability of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf countries to replace Iranian oil is not assured."

Playing the Diversity Card: Saudi Arabia's Foreign Policy under the Salman’s Thomas Demmelhuber The International Spectator, 02 October 2019, Vol.54(4), pp.109-124 Access via Eureka

"Since the 2003 regime change in Iraq and the 2011 Arab uprisings, the political map of the Middle East has been in flux. Regional actors have taken advantage of emerging windows of opportunity, which have affected the outcome of this process. Saudi Arabia’s role as an aspiring regional hegemon in the region is salient: the country’s assertive course in shaping its neighbourhood coincides with a more independent foreign policy that goes beyond the traditional US alliance and seeks to diversify its international partners. This diversification of Saudi foreign policy since the ascension to the throne of King Salman in 2015 is explained by using the IR concept of hedging.."

Saudi Arabia: back to Baghdad International Crisis Group, May 2018 Access Online

"Saudi Arabia has been forging links to Iraq since reopening its Baghdad embassy in 2016. Its adversary Iran has strong Iraqi ties. This report argues that if Riyadh avoids antagonising Tehran, invests wisely and quiets anti-Shiite rhetoric, Iraq can be a bridge between the rival powers - not a battleground."

After the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi: Muhammad bin Salman and the Future of Saudi-U.S. Relations F. Gregory Gause III Center for Strategic & International Studies, December 2018 Access Online

"Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has been ambitious in his efforts to enact economic reforms in Saudi Arabia. However, these efforts have been accompanied by a series of seemingly poorly- planned foreign policy decisions. Despite this series of ad hoc decisions, the crown prince has successfully consolidated power in his own hands in a way that is unprecedented in recent Saudi history. The author argues that the United States must be wary of insisting on a change of personnel that could lead to an intra-family conflict. Instead, the administration should encourage the crown prince to change his behaviour. King Salman should identify an additional interlocutor who can engage with the United States on foreign policy issues for the foreseeable future."

Fresh Prince: The Schemes and Dreams of Saudi Arabia's Next King F. Gregory Gause III Foreign Affairs, 2018, Vol.97 (3), pp.75-87 Access via Eureka

"It is not often that a Ritz-Carlton becomes a detention facility. But last November, when a large slice of the Saudi elite was arrested on accusations of corruption, the luxury hotel in Riyadh became a gilded prison for hundreds of princes, billionaires, and high-ranking government officials. Behind this crackdown was the young crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, who is attempting to remake the kingdom’s economy and social life, and even the House of Saud itself. In this article, the author looks at MBS role and actions. "

Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Struggle to Shape the Middle East Simon Mabon (Ed.) The Foreign Policy Centre, 12 November 2018 Access Online

"This publication examines the increasingly fractious rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran and its devastating impact, shaped by geopolitical aspirations but given existential importance by claims

to Islamic legitimacy. As the rivalry has begun to play out in divided societies across the Middle East such as the ‘proxy arenas’ of Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, and particularly Syria and Yemen outlined in this report, their cultivation of sectarian difference has both created and exacerbated existing social tensions. This has created opportunities for grassroots ‘sectarian entrepreneurs’ to capitalize with catastrophic humanitarian impact. The publication argues that while there are links between sectarian groups and their kin in the Gulf, many of these groups exercise their own agency independent of Saudi Arabia or Iran."

Saudi Arabia’s New Approach in Iraq Renad Mansour Center for Strategic & International Studies, November 2018 Access Online

"While headlines focus on Sunni-Shi`a tensions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is seeking accommodation with a Shi`a-led government in Iraq in order to push back against Iran. The opportunities that Baghdad presents to Riyadh could be mutually beneficial, but from the perspective of many Iraqis, Saudi Arabia’s eagerness to weaken Iran is insufficient to make them an ally. Saudis must also prove that they are a reliable partner in other arenas, especially in the economic realm. Ultimately, Riyadh will have to tread carefully in its attempt to build trust. If it cannot manage to do so, Renad Mansour argues, it risks becoming yet another external power that fails to re-build the post-Saddam Iraqi state."

Endgames for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in Yemen In: Politics, Governance, and Reconstruction in Yemen Kristian C. Ulrichsen POMEPS, January 2018 Access Online

"When Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) launched Operation Decisive Storm at the head of a largely Gulf-led coalition on March 26, 2015, it is likely that few in Riyadh or Abu Dhabi anticipated a campaign that would last for years with no political or military victory in sight. The Gulf-led intervention in Yemen – which was renamed Operation Restoring Hope on April 22, 2015 – has reshaped domestic configurations of power in Saudi Arabia and the UAE around a hyper-hawkish axis that appears set to overshadow aspects of Gulf politics for years to come. In this essay, Ulrichsen analyses Saudi Arabia’s and the Emirates role in Yemen and how it has influenced the regional geopolitics."

Saudi-Iranian Relations: A Troubled Trajectory In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Awadh Al-Badi (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"This chapter analyses the cause of the two countries troubled relationship. It commences by examining the Saudi-Iranian relationship prior and during the reign of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi followed analysing what for the relationship took during and after the Iranian revolution."

The Evolution of Saudi Foreign Policy and the Role of Decision-making Processes and Actors Umer Karim The International Spectator, 03 April 2017, Vol.52(2), pp.71-88 Access via Eureka

"Saudi Arabia has witnessed a centralisation of power in the office of the deputy crown prince, which has amounted to a shift in decision-making from consensual and deliberative to swift and adventurous, most markedly in foreign policy. This centralisation is coupled with an increase in institutionalisation. A new decision-making pattern and rising Iranian power in the region have affected the evolution of Saudi foreign policy. The Saudi crown prince’s strict handling of Shia dissidents acknowledges the perceived extension of the Iranian threat to internal security. The relationship between these two princes and Saudi political competition with Iran will affect the evolution of Saudi foreign policy in a critical manner in the future."

Veränderte Prioritäten am Golf: Saudi-Arabien und die Emirate überdenken ihre Beziehungen zu Ägypten Matthias Sailer Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, January 2016 Access via Eureka

"Saudi-Arabien und die Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE) dürften ihre Geldgeschenke an Ägypten unter Präsident Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Zukunft deutlich weniger großzügig ausfallen lassen. Denn Saudi-Arabien hat sich unter dem seit einem Jahr amtierenden König Salman der Muslimbruderschaft angenähert, die vom ägyptischen Regime als Ursache allen Übels dargestellt wird. Riads übergeordnete Priorität ist heute, den regionalen Einfluss Irans, vor allem im Jemen

und in Syrien, einzudämmen. Doch gerade in Syrien weicht Sisis Position von der Saudi-Arabiens ab. Darüber hinaus ist man in Riad wie auch in Abu Dhabi frustriert, weil Erfolge bei der Verbesserung von Ägyptens Wirtschafts- und Sicherheitslage ausbleiben. Niedrige Ölpreise sorgen zudem für eine restriktivere Ausgabenpolitik am Golf. Für Deutschland und die EU bietet sich damit erstmals seit dem Sturz von Präsident Mohammed Mursi die Gelegenheit, in Ägypten mittels konditionierter finanzieller Unterstützung auf mehr politische Teilhabe und bessere Regierungsführung zu drängen."

Saudi Arabia and Iran: Building Understanding for Improved Ties Banafsheh Keynoush Princeton University, December 2016 Access video online

"Dr. Banafsheh Keynoush, foreign policy advisor, explains the often misunderstood relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. With tensions often primarily attributed to religious differences, Dr. Keynoush contextualises the role of religion, broader regional tensions, and foreign interventions on the two nations’ mutual relations throughout history."

Saudi-Iranian relations since the fall of Saddam Frederic Wehrey ; Theodore W. Karasik ; Alireza Nader et al. RAND – National Security Research Division, 2009 Access Online

"The often tense relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran has been at the centre of many of the major political shifts that have occurred in the Middle East since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. This volume documents a study of how relations between the two powers have unfolded in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine from 2003 through January 2009. Wehrey et al. detail the complex and multidimensional relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran and its implications for regional stability and U.S. interests. In doing so, the authors challenge conventional thinking about Saudi-Iranian relations, arguing, for example, that Sunni-Shi'a distinctions are not the key driver in dealings between the two nations, that the two states tend to engage on areas of common interest, and that the notion of a watertight bloc of Gulf Arab states opposing Iran is increasingly unrealistic. The study concludes with U.S. policy recommendations for leveraging the Saudi-Iranian relationship, particularly in the context of a U.S. drawdown in Iraq, the Palestinian- Israeli conflict, and the Iranian nuclear issue."

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UAE and the EU EU and UAE sign a Cooperation Arrangement Federica Mogherini ; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan [Brussels]: EEAS, 31 January 2018 Access Online

"High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini met in Brussels with the United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan."

The United Arab Emirates and the EU [Brussels]: EEAS, 10 May 2016 Access Online

"An overview of political and economic relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the European Union (EU)."

Domestic affairs The end of empire in the Gulf: from Trucial States to United Arab Emirates Tancred Bradshaw London: I. B. Tauris, 2020 Request via Eureka

"With the end of the British Raj in 1947, the Foreign Office replaced the Government of India as the department responsible for the Persian Gulf, and would proceed to manage relations with the Trucial States (now the United Arab Emirates, UAE) until British withdrawal in 1971. This work is a comprehensive history of British policy in the region during that period, situated for the first time in its broad historical and political context."

Citizens in Training: Conscription and Nation-building in the United Arab Emirates Jon B. Alterman ; Margo Balboni Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2019 Access Online Listen to Podcast

In 2014, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embarked on a bold experiment: It began drafting young men into the military. This move was not only a departure for the Emirates, it was a departure from world trends. Governments have been moving away from national service requirements for decades as military missions have changed and governments have sought to create highly skilled all-volunteer armies. But the UAE move to press young men into military service was meant to build the country, not just the army. This study looks at how this might effect the Emirati society and hierarchical military system."

The United Arab Emirates: power, politics and policymaking Kristian C. Ulrichsen London, England ; New York, New York: Routledge, 2017 Request via Eureka

"Led by Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the UAE has become deeply embedded in the contemporary system of international power, politics, and policy-making. Only an independent state since 1971, the seven emirates that constitute the UAE represent not only the most successful Arab federal experiment but also the most durable. However, the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath underscored the continuing imbalance between Abu Dhabi and Dubai and the five northern emirates. Meanwhile, the post-2011 security crackdown revealed the acute sensitivity of officials in Abu Dhabi to social inequalities and economic disparities across the federation. The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics, and Policymaking charts the various processes of state formation and political and economic development that have enabled the UAE to emerge as a significant regional power and major player in the post Arab Spring reordering of Middle East and North African Politics, as well as the closest partner of the US in military and security affairs in the region."

Bedouins into Bourgeois: remaking citizens for globalization Calvert W. Jones Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017 Request via Eureka

"How are state leaders adapting their citizen-building strategies for globalization? What outcomes are they achieving, and why? Bedouins into Bourgeois investigates an ambitious state-led social engineering campaign in the United Arab Emirates, where leaders aimed to encourage more entrepreneurial, market-friendly, patriotic, and civic-minded citizens."

Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, and the Gulf Region: fifty years of transformation Frauke Heard-Bey Berlin, Germany: Gerlach Press, 2017 Request via Eureka

"The book covers a broad spectrum, including the formation of the UAE in 1971, the subsequent development of this federation, the first oil crisis and geopolitical repercussions, urbanisation, labour migration, electoral systems, trade, the changing way of life and its implications for traditional loyalties in the Gulf states and Oman."

Keepers of the golden shore: a history of the United Arab Emirates Michael Quentin Morton London, England: Reaktion Books, 2016 Request via Eureka

"For those who visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE), staying in its the lavish hotels and browsing in the ultra-modern shopping malls of Abu Dhabi or Dubai, the country can be a mystery, a glass and concrete creation that seems to have sprung from the desert overnight. Keepers of the Golden Shore looks behind this glossy façade, illuminating the region's history, which stretches from the ancient Arabian tribes who controlled a desolate but economically important shoreline to the ostentatious architectural wonders - bankrolled by a massive wealth of oil - that characterize it today."

Foreign affairs Turkey and the UAE: A strange crisis Birol Baskan Middle East Institute, 1 May 2019 Access Online

"On April 19, Turkey arrested two suspects accused of spying for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the latest incident in what has become a worsening crisis in relations between the two countries. It is unclear exactly what happened, but there are Emirati dissidents living in Turkey, and the UAE may have been trying to keep track of their activities. This accusation is not in and of itself especially damaging; indeed, Turkey is frequently accused of spying on its citizens in other countries. More seriously though, Turkey has also accused one of the suspects of being involved in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in early October 2018. If proven, this accusation might link the UAE to Khashoggi’s murder and could tarnish its international image."

What is behind the UAE drawdown in Yemen? Fatima Abo Alasrar ; Katherine Zimmerman ; Jerry Feierstein et al. Middle East Institute, 25 July 2019 Listen to podcast

"The United Arab Emirates’ decision to draw down its troops in Yemen has led to cautious hope in the war-torn country. Fatima Abo Alasrar, senior analyst at the Arabia Foundation; Katherine Zimmerman, AEI research fellow and research manager for AEI’s Critical Threats Project; and Jerry Feierstein, MEI senior vice president and former U.S. ambassador to Yemen, join host Alistair Taylor to discuss what the drawdown means on the ground and what ramifications the move might have." Council of the European Union Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175 - B-1048 Bruxelles/Brussel - Belgique/België Tel. +32 (0)2 281 65 25 Follow us http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/library-blog/ - #EUCOlibrary 69/71

The Pope, the UAE, and the Muslim Brotherhood Birol Baskan Middle East Institute, 13 February 2019 Access Online

"At the beginning of February, Pope Francis paid a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). For the first time in history, a Catholic pope set foot on the Arabian Peninsula. Since the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, successive popes have engaged in extensive dialogue with and preached tolerance toward other faiths. Through his visit, Pope Francis not only continued previous papal efforts to build inter-faith trust and tolerance, but also reached out to hundreds of thousands of Catholic expatriates living in the UAE. However, much more was at stake for his hosts. For the Emirati government, the pope’s visit served to highlight its efforts to promote the UAE as a land of tolerance and to bolster the UAE’s geopolitical objective of discrediting and, if possible, criminalizing the Muslim Brotherhood in the international community."

The Iran-UAE Gulf Islands dispute: a journey through international law, history and politics Charles L. O. Buderi ; Luciana T. Ricart Leiden; Boston: Brill Nijhoff, 2018 Request via Eureka

"In this book, the authors take the reader on a journey through centuries of Gulf history and evolving principles of international law on territorial disputes to reach conclusions over the rightful sovereign of three Gulf islands – Abu Musa and the Tunbs – claimed by both Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Drawing on a wide range of scholarly works and archival documents from sources as diverse as the Dutch East India Company, the Ottoman Empire and the British Government, Buderi and Ricart analyse historical events from antiquity up to modern times. Ultimately, the authors reach conclusions on the ownership of the islands under international law which challenge the positions of both parties."

The United Arab Emirates in the Horn of Africa International Crisis Group, 2018 Access Online

"The UAE, together with its ally Saudi Arabia, played a highly visible role in helping make peace between Eritrea and Ethiopia. The article argues, as the Emirati footprint across the Horn of Africa grows, the UAE should avoid having intra-Gulf competition colour its engagement."

How the UAE Wields Power in Yemen Zachary Laub (interview) ; Neil Partrick (Interviewee) Council on Foreign Relations, 22 June 2017 Access Online

"Neil Patrick argues that the Gulf nation’s ground troops have cultivated alliances in Yemen with local armed groups, but its ability to shape the civil war’s outcome is limited."

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and the New "Game of Thrones" Anthony Cordesman Center for Strategic & International Studies, July 2017 Access Online

"This article argues that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar all need to pay far more attention to the cost of security forces and arms transfers. Cordesman argues more attention should be made to avoid dead-end confrontations in the Arabian Peninsula."

The Horn of Africa’s Growing Importance to the U.A.E. Eleonora Ardemagni Middle East Institute, 25 April 2017 Access Online

"The Horn of Africa is currently playing a pivotal role in the UAE’s security interests at a time of international uncertainty and demanding domestic transformations. Abu Dhabi’s ‘pivot to the Horn’ strategy is designed to tackle three rising security concerns now: Yemen’s instability, freedom of navigation threats, and piracy."

Iran-UAE Relations In: Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours Anoushiravan Ehteshami ; Neil Quilliam ; Gawdat Bahgat (Eds.) ; Kristian C. Ulrichsen (author) Cham: Springer International Publishing ; Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017 Request via Eureka

"In this chapter, Ulrichsen illustrates the evolution of the relationship, commencing with explaining the relationship prior to the Iranian Revolution, as well as how it and the Iran- Iraq War impacted the bilateral relation, up until the JCPOA."