Sectarian Politics in the Gulf

From the Iraq War to the Arab Uprisings

Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations
Cover of the book Sectarian Politics in the Gulf by Frederic Wehrey, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Frederic Wehrey ISBN: 9780231536103
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: December 17, 2013
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Frederic Wehrey
ISBN: 9780231536103
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: December 17, 2013
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

One of Foreign Policy's Best Five Books of 2013, chosen by Marc Lynch of The Middle East Channel

Beginning with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and concluding with the aftermath of the 2011 Arab uprisings, Frederic M. Wehrey investigates the roots of the Shi'a-Sunni divide now dominating the Persian Gulf's political landscape. Focusing on three Gulf states affected most by sectarian tensions—Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait—Wehrey identifies the factors that have exacerbated or tempered sectarianism, including domestic political institutions, the media, clerical establishments, and the contagion effect of external regional events, such as the Iraq war, the 2006 Lebanon conflict, the Arab uprisings, and Syria's civil war.

In addition to his analysis, Wehrey builds a historical narrative of Shi'a activism in the Arab Gulf since 2003, linking regional events to the development of local Shi'a strategies and attitudes toward citizenship, political reform, and transnational identity. He finds that, while the Gulf Shi'a were inspired by their coreligionists in Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon, they ultimately pursued greater rights through a nonsectarian, nationalist approach. He also discovers that sectarianism in the region has largely been the product of the institutional weaknesses of Gulf states, leading to excessive alarm by entrenched Sunni elites and calculated attempts by regimes to discredit Shi'a political actors as proxies for Iran, Iraq, or Lebanese Hizballah. Wehrey conducts interviews with nearly every major Shi'a leader, opinion shaper, and activist in the Gulf Arab states, as well as prominent Sunni voices, and consults diverse Arabic-language sources.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

One of Foreign Policy's Best Five Books of 2013, chosen by Marc Lynch of The Middle East Channel

Beginning with the 2003 invasion of Iraq and concluding with the aftermath of the 2011 Arab uprisings, Frederic M. Wehrey investigates the roots of the Shi'a-Sunni divide now dominating the Persian Gulf's political landscape. Focusing on three Gulf states affected most by sectarian tensions—Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait—Wehrey identifies the factors that have exacerbated or tempered sectarianism, including domestic political institutions, the media, clerical establishments, and the contagion effect of external regional events, such as the Iraq war, the 2006 Lebanon conflict, the Arab uprisings, and Syria's civil war.

In addition to his analysis, Wehrey builds a historical narrative of Shi'a activism in the Arab Gulf since 2003, linking regional events to the development of local Shi'a strategies and attitudes toward citizenship, political reform, and transnational identity. He finds that, while the Gulf Shi'a were inspired by their coreligionists in Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon, they ultimately pursued greater rights through a nonsectarian, nationalist approach. He also discovers that sectarianism in the region has largely been the product of the institutional weaknesses of Gulf states, leading to excessive alarm by entrenched Sunni elites and calculated attempts by regimes to discredit Shi'a political actors as proxies for Iran, Iraq, or Lebanese Hizballah. Wehrey conducts interviews with nearly every major Shi'a leader, opinion shaper, and activist in the Gulf Arab states, as well as prominent Sunni voices, and consults diverse Arabic-language sources.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Early Medieval Architecture as Bearer of Meaning by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Everyone Dies Young by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book The Present as History by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Mortal Rituals by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Violence and Civility by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Sources of Tibetan Tradition by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Bio-pics by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book The Novelist’s Lexicon by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Traditional Chinese Medicine by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book The Evolutionary Biology of Flies by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Understanding Through Fiction by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Social Construction and Social Work Practice by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book South Street by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book The Politics of Anti-Westernism in Asia by Frederic Wehrey
Cover of the book Critical Issues in Child Welfare by Frederic Wehrey
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy