Iran's Rivalry With Saudi Arabia Between the Gulf Wars (Durham Middle East Monographs) [Paperback]

Henner Furtig (Author), Anoushiravan Ehteshami (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 086372311X | ISBN-13: 978-0863723117 | Publication Date: March 2006 | Edition: 1

With ongoing international dependence on the Gulf region for oil supplies, information about the roots of the bitter rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has become increasingly important and compelling, not only for the specialist, but for everyone with an interest in Middle Eastern studies. This book examines the attitude of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from the early days of Iran's Islamic Revolution of 1979-80 until the Second Gulf War - and its aftermath - in the 1990s. Despite their difficult history, the author argues that intermittent periods of peaceful coexistence show that the apparent discord between these two states is neither inherent nor insurmountable, but rather is due to specific circumstances which this book describes and explains with clarity and in detail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Furtig provides us with lots of evidence and insightful arguments.' Wolfgang G. Schwanitz, German Orient Institute, Middle East Policy 'This book is a welcome addition to the literature on Iranian-Arab relations.' Nader Entessar, Spring Hill College, Middle East Journal 'Furtig's study should be required reading for professionals, diplomats, business people, scholars, journalists, and serious students of the region. Highly recommended.' V. T. Le Vine, Washington University, Choice '... skilfully written by a well-known Middle East scholar with special knowledge of the presented issues' Andrzej Kapiszewski, Hemispheres 'Henner Furtig provides an insightful and accessible outline of the shifting lattices that characterized Gulf affairs during the quarter-century after 1970. This is no mean feat, and will be of considerable value to undergraduates and general readers looking for a reliable overview of the subject.' Fred H. Lawson, The International History Review

About the Author

Dr Henner Furtig is an Arabist and a historian at the German Institute for Middle Eastern Studies (DOI), Hamburg.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ithaca; 1 edition (March 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086372311X
• ISBN-13: 978-0863723117
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,891,844 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The forces behind Middle East dynamics, January 24, 2008

By 

R. Geller (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iran's Rivalry With Saudi Arabia Between the Gulf Wars (Durham Middle East Monographs) (Paperback)

The key word in the book's title is rivalry - religious, strategic, and economic - a rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia for regional leadership, and inspirational leadership of the world's Muslims. Just as an understanding of the Cold War is necessary to understand East-West foreign policies before the 1990s, an understanding of the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is essential for understanding the historical and ongoing dynamics of the Middle East. I won't attempt to summarize the book, but much of Iranian actions can be understood quite logically in the context of this rivalry - a rivalry that existed before the 1979 revolution, and is likely to persist for a long time to come. Furthermore, a very clear picture of the motivations behind Saudi polices can be understood in the context of this rivalry. While the book doesn't cover more recent events, it doesn't need to in order to establish the principles by which future events can be most easily understood - it would be a big mistake to pass over this book based on its focus of the years between the Iranian revolution through the mid 1990s. For example, Saudi Arabia's ongoing regional support for Wahhabi madrasas (at great odds with the U.S.'s post 9-11 interests), is more easily understood in the context of countering Iranian influence. Furthermore, where Iraq under Saddam was at times a reason for Iran and Saudi Arabia to warm relations and cooperate against a common threat, the future Iraq (even a peaceful one) is likely to be a key `battleground' in their ongoing rivalry.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Iran's Rivalry with Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Wars, May 8, 2007

By 

Michael Rubin "Middle East Quarterly" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Iran's Rivalry With Saudi Arabia Between the Gulf Wars (Durham Middle East Monographs) (Paperback)

As the sovereign power over Mecca and Medina, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia claims special status as a protector Islam. But across the Persian Gulf, Shi'ite Iran competes with it for leadership of the Muslim world. Fürtig, a scholar at the Deutsche Orient-Institut in Hamburg, sets out to examine Saudi-Iranian rivalry in this 2006 reprint of a 2002 study.

A brief introduction outlines both rivalry and coordination between shah and Saudi king before the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran. Both found common ground in opposition to revolutions that had replaced monarchies with more radical regimes in Egypt and Iraq and found themselves on the same side of the Cold War. Tehran and Riyadh cooperated to defeat communism in Oman. Still, interests divulged. Saudi Arabia and Iran did not always cooperate on oil pricing policy and latent tension existed over competing visions of Riyadh's pan-Islamism and Tehran's pan-Iranism.
The 1979 Islamic Revolution redefined the Iranian-Saudi rivalry. Fürtig documents not only the Iranian government's decision to export revolution but also its specific anti-Saudi propaganda campaign. He explores Tehran's willingness to inflame Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite minority and incite sectarian division at the hajj, the traditional pilgrimage to Mecca. With this historical summary ends the book's utility.

Additional chapters explore Saudi support for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war and the subsequent Saudi-Iranian détente following the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. It is this--rather than Operation Iraqi Freedom--which Fürtig considers the second Gulf War. The time periods examined date sections on Saudi-Iranian regional competition in the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and Afghanistan. How can Fürtig conduct any serious examination of Saudi-Iranian competition in Central Asia when he limits himself only to the first year or two of regional independence? Despite the publication date of this second edition, there has been no attempt to update the narrative. Accordingly, there is mention of neither Iranian attempts to destabilize Bahrain in 1995-96 nor the Khobar Towers bombing. By applying conclusions forward in time, without taking into account intermediary evidence, Fürtig undercuts the utility of his work.

Other faults undercut the value of Iran's Rivalry. Fürtig bases his study largely upon secondary sources, making his analysis more a consolidation of others' works than a contribution to the field. He makes very little use of Persian or Arabic sources, other than those cited in already published works. Editing is sloppy and transliteration is inconsistent. For example, the former Iraqi dictator's name is given as both Saddam Hussein and Saddam Husain. Iranian-Saudi competition and, more broadly, Sunni- Shi'ite rivalry, is increasingly relevant. It is too bad, then, that Iran's Rivalry with Saudi Arabia between the Gulf Wars does not do the subject justice.

Michael Rubin
Middle East Quarterly
Summer 2007