Description
While international observers mostly regard them as only oil-producing countries, the small states of the Persian Gulf region have been arguably successful in diversifying their political and economic toolkit to shape global affairs. In the context of renewed and intensified great power competition and the transformation of the global energy market, the five monarchies (Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman) found various ways through which they can influence great powers and pursue their interests internationally. Nevertheless, due to their small size and the social preconceptions surrounding them, many observers failed to realize their exact role.
The research aims at interpreting the five Gulf states’ position and strategy in relation to influence-building in great powers, most notably the US, the UK, the EU, Russia and China. While the analysis takes into account both traditional and non-traditional ways of interfering in the domestic and transnational sphere of decision-making, the focus will be put on elite-to-elite relations. Using a neo-Gramscian interpretative framework, the research will be conducted on both theoretical and empirical levels with the ambition of forming conclusions for the leverage of small states vis-á-vis great powers.
