The Gulf States in International Political Economy

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen examines the changing position of the Gulf Cooperation Council states within a global order which itself is in a state of flux. Against the backdrop of deep shifts in the structure and balance of geo-political and geo-economic gravity, the Gulf States have become increasingly assertive centres of regional power and influence and imprinted themselves on the global consciousness, their exposure magnified by the acquisition or sponsorship of landmark assets and prestige events across the world. Moving far beyond the longstanding role of Saudi Arabia in stabilizing international oil markets, in the 2000s the Gulf States emerged as more muscular participants in attempts to rebalance and reshape the world around them. This process accelerated after the sudden outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011 as the Gulf States took unprecedented measures to contain and control the processes of change throughout the Middle East and North Africa.