1st Edition
Strategic Hedging in the Arab Peninsula The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement
Strategic Hedging in the Arab Peninsula: The Politics of the Gulf-Asian Rapprochement offers a new perspective on the geopolitics of Gulf-Asian relations. Jean-Loup Samaan explores the dynamics underpinning the evolution of strategic partnerships between the Gulf States and Asian partners. He looks at how Gulf countries have pursued a diversification strategy in response to the risk of a potential retreat from the region on the part of traditional partners such as the US, and argues that, rather than being the result of a deliberate common policy on the part of the Gulf States, this trend derives from unilateral choices by Gulf leaders, best explained by the concept of ‘strategic hedging’.
Introduction
- The End of the Post-Gulf War Order
- The Rise of the Gulf-Asian Common Strategic Interests
- The Politics of Gulf-Asian Security Cooperation
- The Fragile Decoupling of Regional Power Plays
Conclusion
Biography
Jean-Loup Samaan is an associate professor in strategic studies for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) National Defense College. His research focuses on Middle Eastern strategic affairs, in particular the evolution of the Gulf security system, and the Israel-Hizbullah conflict. Prior to taking up his position in the UAE, he was a researcher for the Middle East Faculty at the NATO Defense College in Rome between 2011 and 2016. He was a policy advisor at the French Ministry of Defense from 2008 to 2011. Dr Samaan has authored four books and several articles for various international academic and policy journals such as the RUSI Journal, Survival, Orbis, Comparative Strategy, Politique Etrangère and Internationale Politik.
