Qatar Books

Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar (Cambridge Middle East Library)

Jill Crystal

Amazon Price: $35.99 List Price: $39.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Cambridge University Press Amazon Marketplace: 33 new & used starting at $5.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> Microeconomics
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Industries & Professions -> Oil & Energy
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General

Editorial Review:

Why in recent years have the social and economic upheavals in Kuwait and Qatar been accompanied by a remarkable political continuity? In a region of revolution and coups, these particular monarchies have somehow survived. In her analysis of political change in the Gulf, Jill Crystal investigates this apparent anomaly by examining the impact of oil on the formation and destruction of political coalitions and state institutions. She also adds to our understanding of state formation by highlighting the ways in which states and rulers structure the relationship between those with money and those with power. This updated edition includes a discussion of the Gulf War and its aftermath.

The Ottoman Gulf

Frederick F. Anscombe

Amazon Price: $29.50 List Price: $29.50 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Columbia University Press Amazon Marketplace: 13 new & used starting at $17.00

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Turkey
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Ottoman Failure in the Persian Gulf States 4 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

In The Ottoman Gulf, Frederick F. Anscombe sets out to show the inaccuracy of the thought that Britain was the main force behind the creation of the Persian Gulf's Arab states. Anscombe indicates the responsibility of the Ottoman Empire and its operations in Arabia as the central factor behind the development of the states of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Instead of the conventional notion that Britain always intended to establish its influence and gain dominance in the region, Anscombe argues that it was rather the Ottoman rule of the area that led to the formation of the states. As Anscombe states in his introduction, "...if the Ottomans had governed the mainland effectively, Britain would not have become entangled in the territories that were to become the states of Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia...the British were drawn, often unwillingly and even unwittingly, into mainland politics" (3).
Anscombe begins his narrative by tracing the causes for the renewed Ottoman interest in the Arabian Peninsula that arose during the 1870s. Istanbul felt that it needed to reassert its right to rule over the area so that a Wahhabi insurrection could be avoided and so that the Ottoman governance of the area north of the Peninsula, such as Iraq and Syria, could be protected from the raiding tribes that achieved were so prevalent in the Peninsula in the late 19th century. However, as Anscombe also points out, the Ottomans did feel competition from the British in the region. But Anscombe describes that this competition was fictitious and created much more by Ottoman insecurity than actual British interest and action.
The author then proceeds to cover the Ottoman take of the region of Hasa and the subsequent governance of Midhat Pasha in the area. Anscombe looks very favorably upon the programs of Pasha and believes that if Pasha had been allowed to stay in power for a longer period of time, his program would have succeeded in subduing the tribal problems that disrupted Ottoman rule. As Anscombe writes, "Midhat may have been an optimist, yet his visions were not beyond reason" (37) and states later of Pasha's plan to implement taxes on the region and promote agricultural development that, "If implemented as planned, the new economic, administrative, and social regimes would have been marked improvements on the decaying institutions of the Wahhabi era...His successors did not build on his initiatives, and the upheavals that were soon to strike the empire distracted Istanbul's attention for the remainder of the decade. The bad effects of official neglect were to appear within several years of Midhat's departure from Baghdad in 1872" (53).
In the following chapters, Anscombe portrays the numerous problems that eventually caused Ottoman rule to fail in the Arabian Peninsula. Anscombe places the blame for this failure squarely on the Ottomans and the financial difficulties. He writes, "As a result of the empire's extreme financial troubles in the period, anything that was to be attempted in Hasa was to be done cheaply. Money was not to be invested there, it was to be extracted. In such a harried atmosphere, political efficiency received as little attention as the economy. Consequently, little trace of Midhat's plans survived, and when challenges to the Ottomans' position rose thickly in the 1890s, they found that it rested on a fatally flawed foundation" (55). Thus, it was not the British, but rather the Ottomans that are at fault for the turmoil in the Persian Gulf states from the late 19th century until the outbreak of WWI. Incredibly corrupt Ottoman officials attempted to extract taxes from the local population that created a great deal of resentment to the Ottoman presence in the area. The Ottomans dug their own grave. Bribes amongst officials were common and such horrible governors as Bazi only caused hatred for Ottoman influence in the Peninsula.
Anscombe is able to effectively close his narrative and prove his thesis by following Mubarak's insurrection in Kuwait. Anscombe dispels the contention that Mubarak's success came from long and developed British involvement in his revolt. Rather, the author illustrates how it took a great deal of time and pressure to finally get the British to support Mubarak and it was the inability of the Ottomans to deal with Mubarak that was the true cause of the upheaval's success. Anscombe even goes so far as to state in his conclusion that, "On the whole, Britain's experience in the Gulf prior to the war was positive, especially when compared to the mixed fortunes of the Ottomans" (173). While a slightly more comprehensive dealing with history prior to 1870 would help the strength of Anscombe's objective, he is able to convey in a limited number of pages a very compressive survey of the region. The portrait he paints of the Persian Gulf states prior to 1914 is one of disorder and chaos chiefly due to the Ottoman inability to govern effectively in the region.
Overall, Anscombe is very successful in showing how Ottoman, and not British influence, was the direct cause of the states in the Arabian Peninsula. By chronicling the ineptitude of Ottoman governance in the region and highlighting the financial difficulties that limited the amount of control the Ottomans could exert of the area, Anscombe is able to contradict convincingly the notion of British superiority of influence in the history of the Persian Gulf states. While the author does not ignore the obvious impact of British influence after World War I and the discovery of oil deposits in the region, he points out the lack of intention and planned involvement in the affairs of Arabia that British showed before 1914. The inability of the Ottomans to control tribal factions and institute a government that appeased the people of the region was a much more significant factor to political development in Arabia than any pre-1914 British involvement. Responsibility for the Ottoman loss of the Arabian Peninsula rests solely with Ottoman inadequacy and blame directed at outside sources is only an attempt to divert this responsibility. Anscombe's analysis of the history behind the formation of the states is entirely successful in highlighting this responsibility of the Ottomans for their Empire's own problems and failing reign in the region.

Editorial Review:

-- Middle East Quarterly

Qatar

List Price: $50.00 By: Stacey International Publishers Amazon Marketplace: 7 new & used starting at $44.37

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Qatar

Editorial Review:

A fact widely acknowledged among the international Arab and Islamic community is the emergence of Qatar as a setter of trends in both external and internal affairs. Confident in the people's strong roots in their Islamic values and traditions, the nation's leadership has struck out to transform the country into statehood compliant with the expectations offered by twenty-first century technology in a climate of political stability, peace, and prosperity.

With over 300 color illustrations and an authoritative text written by those who know the country best, Qatar tells the story of a country of buoyancy and promise, at all levels of society and in all fields of activity-creatively, and in industry and commerce, in education and health care, in state-of-the-art production of its hydrocarbon resources both onshore and offshore, in banking and finance, in international communications, and in political thinking.

Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, And The Uae: Challenges Of Security (Csis Middle East Dynamic Net Assessment)

Anthony H Cordesman

Amazon Price: $49.00 List Price: $49.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Westview Press Amazon Marketplace: 23 new & used starting at $29.99

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Economics -> General AAS
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General
Subjects -> Business & Investing -> Popular Economics -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

A dry, technical, but thorough treatment 3 out of 5 stars.
6 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This book is part of a series, all by the same author, which altogether covers the military situation of the Arabian peninsula (excluding Yemen). This particular volume is divided in sections by country, and covers history, the current military situation, and internal security issues (i.e., police, internal intelligence agencies, and likelihood of domestic unrest). It's in the style of a technical report; few people would find it to be "fun reading," nor was it intended to be. I was disappointed that on the topic of UAE internal security, the seven emirates of the UAE were lumped together; it would have been interesting to learn more about the differences in policing and internal security among the various UAE jurisdictions. Nevertheless, this volume covers the minor countries of the Gulf Region with a thoroughness and degree of detail that is not equaled by anything else that's in print.

Editorial Review:

This volume examines the changing economic and internal security challenges faced by the Gulf countries and the problems they face with Iran, Iraq, and other Gulf states. The special military and security needs of Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates are analyzed here in detail, as are their growing demographic problems and export plans.

The Heritage of Qatar

Peter Vine, Paula Casey

By: Immel Publishing Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $99.19

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General
Subjects -> History -> Asia -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Qatar

A Line in the Sea: The Qatar v. Bahrain Border Dispute in the World Court

Jawad Al-Arayd

List Price: $35.00 By: North Atlantic Books Amazon Marketplace: 19 new & used starting at $9.98

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Bahrain
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Qatar
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> General

Editorial Review:

The border dispute between Qatar and Bahrain simmered for more than 50 years before it was adjudicated by the International Court of Justice—a process that took ten long years. This authoritative book documents the controversy in the context of its imperial roots, the countries' ruling families, the discovery of oil, and the political destinies of the emerging Gulf states. This color illustrated historical account includes the forensic evidence that identified key forgeries in the case.

Britain's Revival and Fall in the Gulf: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the Trucial States, 1950-71 (Routledgecurzon Studies in the Modern History of the Middle East, 1)

Simon C. Smith

Amazon Price: $170.00 List Price: $170.00 Usually ships in 24 hours By: RoutledgeCurzon Amazon Marketplace: 11 new & used starting at $160.37

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> England -> 20th Century
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> England -> General
Subjects -> History -> Europe -> England -> General AAS

Editorial Review:

Britain's relationship with Gulf region remains one of the few unexplored episodes in the study of British decolonization. The decision, announced in 1968, to leave the Gulf within three years represented an explicit recognition by Britain that its 'East of Suez' role was at an end. In this book, Simon Smith analyzes the decision-making process which underpinned this reversal is clearly vital in achieving an understanding of British decline, both psychological and material. Additionally, this book presents an examination of the interaction between British decision-making on the one hand, and local responses and initiatives on the other, in shaping the modern Gulf. Using sources previously unavailable to the studies on the modern Gulf and of interest to both academic and general readers.

Let's Visit Qatar (Let's Visit-)

Maureen Rickman

By: Macmillan Children's Books Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $97.91

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Qatar

Let's Visit Qatar (Let's Visit-)

Maureen Rickman

By: Macmillan Children's Books Amazon Marketplace: 1 new & used starting at $97.91

Buy at Amazon.com

Browse similar items by category:
Subjects -> Children's Books -> General AAS
Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> Qatar