Perspectives on Politics, Volume 13, Issue 03, September 2015, pp 898-899 Michael Herb is an accomplished scholar of the Gulf Arab states and his new book appeals to the growing academic and policy interest in the sub-region.
Perspectives on Politics, Volume 13, Issue 03, September 2015, pp 898-899
Michael Herb is an accomplished scholar of the Gulf Arab states and his new book appeals to the growing academic and policy interest in the sub-region. Conducting research in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states presents challenges: state surveillance, lack of transparency in government decision-making, including access to basic demographic and economic data, and the cultural aversion to discussing political matters publicly. Herb makes an important move forward in the field by applying both methodological discipline and standard concepts of comparative politics to his cases.
Poor organization and outsized financial support for pilgrimage blows back, inviting stinging criticisms of Raisi regime’s administrative competence and priorities.
Protests are likely to continue flaring up in Iran as a function of the regime’s attempt at modernizing the country while denying personal and political freedoms to the children of modernization.
Kuwait’s upcoming elections bring hopes for a new beginning for the executive and legislative branches of government. But that depends on the elections' outcome and the relationship forged with new government leadership.
Through its careful examination of the forces shaping the evolution of Gulf societies and the new generation of emerging leaders, AGSIW facilitates a richer understanding of the role the countries in this key geostrategic region can be expected to play in the 21st century.
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