The Small Gulf States

This edited collection on the smaller Gulf Cooperation Council countries' international relations shows that small is not a barrier to ambition or performance. Indeed, smallness - for all the images of vulnerability that it conjures up is also an asset when it comes to policy nimbleness. Furthermore, the authors in this volume also show that smallness rarely inhibits policy choices. The cases of Oman, Qatar and the UAE on which the collection focuses illustrate fully the flexibility that comes with small size. But the authors also draw attention to the barriers that a small state cannot, by itself at least overcome. Theoretically rich, the editors chart a new ways in which we can analyse the conduct of small states in the international arena. Anoush Ehteshami, Professor of International Relations and Director of the HH Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Programme at Durham University.

This edited collection on the smaller Gulf Cooperation Council countries' international relations shows that small is not a barrier to ambition or performance. Indeed, smallness - for all the images of vulnerability that it conjures up - is also an asset when it comes to policy nimbleness. Furthermore, the authors in this volume also show that smallness rarely inhibits policy choices. The cases of Oman, Qatar and the UAE, on which the collection focuses, illustrate fully the flexibility that comes with small size. But the authors also draw attention to the barriers that a small state cannot, by itself at least, overcome. Theoretically rich, the editors chart new ways in which we can analyse the conduct of small states in the international arena. Anoush Ehteshami, Professor of International Relations and Director of the HH Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Programme at Durham University.