Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online Volume 1, Issue 1 | Page 20

2/2/2016

Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online

State-formation and state-building are primary concerns as Commins moves into more recent times. Many Western observers (e.g. Draper, 1992;
Fromkin, 1989) tell this story as a saga of misguided European politics. Commins joins other historians (e.g. Anscombe, 1997) to view 19th and
20th century Europe as components of an extensive dramatis personae and not as the sole stars of the Gulf-politics show, even in the era of U.S.
dominance. Ruling families, intra-regional struggles for power and authority, and the growing impact of the oil industry, including revenues and
how rulers chose to use them, are examined as well. How local forces used Europeans, including the ambidextrous Ottomans, to beef up their
competitive advantage in domestic quarrels, adds to the argument that agency was not one-sided.
Commins’s efforts to address the region as a whole carries through even in these later chapters which trace 20th century state-building in a time of
profound changes in world order. Although there is a strong regional and global focus in these chapters, they are organized using a nation-by-nation
framework that includes Iraq and Iran in addition to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the six members
of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Commins is particularly interested in struggles within ruling families and, in the case of the two
“republics,” struggles among elites, as important contributors to the development of today’s modern states. Although this volume, like others (e.g.
Foley, 2010), emphasizes Saudi Arabia, the state-by-state organization ensures that all the Gulf countries are covered under each of the chapter
topic frames.
The volume, however, is not without flaws. It takes a top-down approach. Consequently, in spite of the attention paid to state-building, it reflects
little of the flavor of local activism which, in the 20th century if not before, exercised significant influence on the decisions of leaders. The texture
of individual societies is missing, not only as a contrast between Iran and the Arab states or between the two “republics” and the monarchies, but
also among the monarchies themselves. Religion is portrayed as an important structural element of politics, but its affective power is not explored
and neither is the way it is embedded in the conduct of politics and the rhythms of everyday life.
These omissions, along with a few minor factual errors do not detract from the overall value of this volume, however. It would be a good
introduction to the region for general readers and lower-level undergraduates in Middle East studies; inadequate sourcing makes it less useful for
advanced students. It is most attractive as a survey of globalization, its long history, and its operation in a key cross-roads of migration and trade.
References
al-Qasimi, Sultan M. (1986). The myth of Arab piracy in the Gulf. Dover, N.H.: Croom Helm.
Anscombe, F. F. (1997). The Ottoman Gulf: The creation of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. New York: Columbia University Press.
Dickson, H. R. P. (1956). Kuwait and her neighbours. London: Allen and Unwin.
Draper,
T.
H.
(1992).
The
Gulf
War
reconsidered.
New
York
Review.
Retrieved
16
January
from
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1992/jan/16/the-gulf-war-reconsidered-2/
Foley, S. (2010). The Arab Gulf States: Beyond oil and Islam. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner.
Fromkin, D. (1989). A peace to end all peace: The fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the modern Middle East. New York: Avon.
Tétreault, M. A. (2006). Kuwait’s annus mirabilis. Middle East Reports Online. Retrieved 7 September from
http://www.merip.org/mero/mero090706.html
Wallach, J. (2005). Desert queen: The extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, adviser to kings, ally of Lawrence of Arabia. New York:
Anchor Books.
Wolf, E. (1982). Europe and the People without History. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press.

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