1st Edition

Great Powers and Regional Orders The United States and the Persian Gulf

Edited By Markus Kaim Copyright 2009

    Great Powers and Regional Orders explores the manifestations of US power in the Persian Gulf and the limits of American influence. Significantly, this volume explores both the impact of US domestic politics and the role played by the region itself in terms of regional policy, order and stability. Well organized and logically structured, Markus Kaim and contributors have produced a new and unique contribution to the field that is applicable not only to US policy in the Persian Gulf but also to many other regional contexts. This will interest anyone working or researching within foreign policy, US and Middle Eastern politics.

    List of Tables, List of Contributors, 1 U.S. Policy and the Regional Order of the Persian Gulf: The Analytical Framework, 2 U.S. Strategy towards the Persian Gulf: From Rogue States to Failed States, 3 Charting U.S. Security Strategy in the Persian Gulf, 4 United States Oil Diplomacy in the Persian Gulf, 5 U.S. Democracy Promotion in the Persian Gulf, 6 The Domestic Politics of U.S. Policy towards the Persian Gulf, 7 Has Public Diplomacy Failed? The U.S. Media Strategy towards the Middle East and the Regional Perception of U.S. Foreign Policy, 8 The Mechanisms of Power-Balancing in the Persian Gulf: Internal Factors – External Challenges, 9 From Local to Global Jihad and Back: Islamist Terrorists and their Impact on U.S. Gulf Policy, 10 Societal Change in Saudi Arabia and U.S. Regional Policy, 11 The Perils of Nation-Building in Iraq: The Implications for U.S. Policy in the Middle East, 12 The EU Policy towards the Persian Gulf, 13 Pax Americana in the Persian Gulf and the Contradictions of Russian Foreign Policy, 14 Sino-Gulf Relations and the United States: Dark Cloud – Silver Lining?, 15 U.S. Gulf Policy: Challenges for the Next U.S. Administration, Index

    Biography

    Dr Markus Kaim is Senior Fellow at German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin, Germany and Adjunct Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Jena, Germany

    'As the geopolitical situation in the Persian Gulf remains in flux, and different visions of regional order are traded by extra-regional and regional actors, this book analyses in a most interesting manner the interplay of Western and regional players, state and non-state actors, societal, economic, and ideological factors in shaping a new balance of power...' Volker Perthes, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Germany 'Students of the relationship between the US and the Persian Gulf will find this collection of essays to be an important addition to our understanding of this crucial area. Kaim and his colleagues employ a range of analytical approaches and determinants. These diverse approaches provide useful insights into the policy and influence of the United States and give us a valuable overview of the region. The work combines concepts and raises questions rarely linked in analyses of US policy.' Bernard Reich, George Washington University, USA '[It is] noteworthy that most of the contributions connect an academic approach with sober analyses and clear formulated policy proposals. This combination makes the book especially worthwhile.' Atlantic-community.org '...Markus Kaim's edited book offers a well-reasoned analysis of a broad swathe of many aspects of the region's politics that impact on America directly or indirectly.' Political Studies Review