Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States.

The book *Centers of Power in the Arab Gulf States* offers a detailed analysis of the political dynamics within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. It explores the roles of ruling families and elites, their efforts to establish administrative institutions, approaches to popular representation, and responses to political opposition, including both distributive policies and repression. The work highlights significant variations among these governments, challenging the common perception of them as uniform absolute monarchies or rentier states. It also addresses specific aspects such as Kuwait’s parliamentary history, dynastic rivalries, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth funds, and the UAE’s recruitment of foreign soldiers. [Extracted from the article]