Christopher Davidson is Reader in Government and International Affairs at the Institute for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Durham University. He formerly taught at Sheikh Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and is the author of Dubai: the Vulnerability of Success, Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond and The Persian Gulf and Pacific Asia, all of which are published by Hurst.

Contributors: Marc Valeri (Exeter University), Kristian Coates-Ulrichsen (London School of Economics), Steven Wright (Qatar University), David B. Roberts, and Jane Kinnimont (The Economist).

"Power and Politics in the Persian Gulf Monarchies is a superb addition to the existing literature on an area long neglected by scholars of the Middle East. By providing comprehensive, in-depth analyses of the domestic politics of the GCC states, the volume highlights the travails and complexities of their political development and the inevitability of the political changes to come. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the serious study of the Middle East and the Persian Gulf."--Mehran Kamrava, Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies, Georgetown University-Qatar

"The perfect briefing on the history, political dynamics and personalities, foreign policy, and economy of the Arab Gulf states: a lucid summing up of themes and trends in these four areas; country chapters pursuing them systematically and accessibly; a wealth of hard-to-come-by information; and incisive analysis representing the most recent research. Just as useful to novices as to the initiated."--Gerd Nonneman, Dean, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar and Visiting Professor of Gulf Studies, University of Exeter

"This unique, timely volume represents the single best overview of the modern histories and contemporary challenges facing the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The authors provide nuanced accounts of post-oil economy diversification, shared security concerns, and religious tensions facing the Gulf, and how the 'Arab spring' may eventually lead to political reform."--Marcia C. Inhorn, Professor of Anthropology and International Affairs, Yale University