Security in the Persian Gulf: Origins, Obstacles, and the Search for Consensus [Paperback]

Lawrence G. Potter (Editor), Gary G. Sick (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2002

This book is a follow-up volume to the editors' acclaimed The Persian Gulf at the Millennium: Essays in Politics, Economy, Security and Religion. The editors have assembled a number of leading experts on the Persian Gulf to reflect on factors affecting security there in the 21st century. Most contributors are from the region itself and for the first time share the results of ongoing research with an outside audience. The chapters profile the diverse society in the Gulf and the historical pattern of Gulf security before focusing on current security concerns between Iran and the Arab states. They explore the mutual perceptions of the peoples of the Gulf today and the role of the new generation in shaping its future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Named by L. Carl Brown of Foreign Affairs as one of the five best books on the Middle East

About the Author

Lawrence G. Potter is Deputy Director of Gulf/2000 and Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Affairs at Columbia University.

Gary G. Sick is Executive Director of the Gulf/2000 Project at Columbia University, where he is also Adjunct Professor of International Affairs. He formerly served on the US National Security Council.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (January 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312239505
• ISBN-13: 978-0312239503
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good academic study of issues facing the Gulf States, September 26, 2006

By 

Mark T. Sorna "Real Person" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Security in the Persian Gulf: Origins, Obstacles, and the Search for Consensus (Paperback)

This book along with "The Persian Gulf At the Millennium" was required reading for a class I took on persian gulf politics. It was developed out of the same project (Gulf/2000 project) as Millennium but it is somewhat more up to date (by five years). Like Millennium, it is a collection of essays from experts in the field except this book includes more scholars who are actually from the region. It has three essays given from an Iranian perspective which make it very relevent to politics and security issues of today. It also has essays from the Arabian perspective and discusses patterns in Gulf security. My personal favorite essay from this book though doesn't really have to do with security. It is the essay on the Gulf's ethnic diversity from M.R. Izady. Its a very interesting history of the people who live on the coastal waters of the Gulf. They are commonly called Gulfis and they have a rich history of sea trade that goes back to ancient times. They traveled and had influence on people who lived as far away as India, Indonesia, and even China. Whats more, they probably had more influence on the people in India and Indonesia than on the people adjacent to them in Persia (now Iran) and Arabia because the Gulf coast is largely isolated from the inland step by mountains on the Persian side and desert on the Arabian side. I really enjoyed that particular essay. The other essays in the book are also very good and insightful. Written by people who clearly understand issues in the Gulf, the book is an excellent collection of topics very relevent to the region today.