Böcker av Dr Robert Mason

This book explores key Saudi and UAE bilateral relations against a backdrop of political transitions occurring at domestic, regional and international levels. It argues that established modes of analysis such as riyal politik and the Islamisation of Saudi foreign policy are redundant in this shifting economic climate, while political consolidation amounting to Sultanism only tells part of the story. Instead, the book emphasises the role of youth, background, and western affinity in leadership, while establishing liberalisation, hyper-nationalism, secularisation, 'Push East' pressure, and broader economic statecraft as the new touchstones of Saudi and UAE foreign policy.

Saudi Arabia, with its US alliance and abundance of oil dollars, has a very different economic story to that of Iran, which despite enormous natural gas reserves, has been hit hard by economic, trade, scientific and military sanctions since its 1979 revolution.