Georgetown University

The module considers processes of economic, political and social change in the modern Gulf states within the framework of the area’s regional and international context.  The economies and societies of the Gulf states interact with the world economy and from their unique position as the repository of the largest concentration of crude oil reserves in the world.  Oil rent cannot be taken for granted, but the impact of oil revenues is nevertheless real and far-reaching. 

The purpose of this module to develop an understanding of processes of change in the Gulf countries and of the way these processes have shaped the existing economic, social and political realities of the region.  The institutions and the cultural setting of Gulf societies mediate the processes of change and have themselves been radically altered by these processes.  This module also considers the position of the Gulf in the international arena – in particular with regard to the regional integration of the region, and its mutual interaction with the global political economy.