Prof Falkner's recommended readings: Gulf States and the Middle East
Published on November 7, 2021
Dear TRIUM alumni,
As the TRIUM Class of 2022 will soon start Module 5 in Dubai, I thought I would share with you the following reading recommendations. While the list was initially designed for students, you may find it equally interesting. Its primary goal is to help students familiarise themselves with key economic and political trends in the UAE. I hope that this list will give you a taste of Module 5 and develop your interest in the region.
Kind regards,
Robert Falkner, TRIUM Academic Director
Reading recommendations:
- World Bank (2021). Fact Sheet: United Arab Emirates
- Central Bank of the UAE (2021): Quarterly Economic Review
- PWC (2021): “Five economic themes for 2021 to watch in the Gulf”
- The following book offers a readable introduction to the history, society and politics of the Gulf states. But please note that it only covers developments until ca 2015: Rory Miller (2016). Desert Kingdoms to Global Powers: The Rise of the Arab Gulf. Yale University Press.
- Anyone interested in the history of the Arab world should pick up this seminal book: Eugene Rogan (2018). The Arabs: A History. Revised and Updated Edition. Penguin.
- For those interested in the Israel-Palestine conflict and how Israel approaches the Arab world, Avi Shlaim’s writings provide an authoritative introduction. See, for example, his classic book: Avi Shlaim (2014): The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World. Penguin.
- One of the leading textbooks on the Middle East in international relations is: Louise Fawcett (ed) (2019) International Relations of the Middle East. Fifth Edition. Oxford University Press. The book contains useful chapters providing historical background (e.g. on Cold War period and post-Cold War context), discussing the role of energy, Islam and security, and focusing on specific countries/actors (e.g. the Gulf states, Arab Spring, and external powers).
- And finally, a novelistic treatment of an expat’s life in Dubai can be found in: Joseph O’Neill (2014). The Dog. Fourth Estate. From the book’s blurb: “In 2007, a New York attorney bumps into an old college buddy – and accepts his friend’s offer of a job in Dubai, as the overseer of an enormous family fortune. Haunted by the collapse of his relationship and hoping for a fresh start, our strange hero begins to suspect that he has exchanged one inferno for another. A funny and wholly original work of international literature, ‘The Dog’ is led by a brilliantly entertaining anti-hero. Imprisoned by his endless powers of reasoning, hemmed in by the ethical demands of globalized life, he is fatefully drawn towards the only logical response to our confounding epoch.”