Matthew Gray – författare

Examines the causes and consequences of Saudi Arabia's current security policy and the domestic, regional, and international challenges the country's defense program presents to the general welfare of the Middle East.As possessor of a quarter of the world's oil reserves and host to two of the holiest cities in Islam, Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the cultural, economic, and political well-being of the Middle East. From Persian Gulf security, to Middle Eastern politics, to the international energy industry, events in this desert kingdom strongly impact the stability of the region. This comprehensive resource analyzes contemporary Saudi Arabia—its modern history, the role of Islam, and the nature of Saudi foreign relations—and reveals how these and other factors dictate and shape the country's current security policies and priorities.Middle East expert and author Mathew Gray has organized the work into six sections: the first provides an historical overview of the region from the mid-1700s to the 1980s; the second explores the Saudi political and security system; the third discusses Saudi-U.S. relations; the fourth looks at Saudi relations with the Gulf region and the wider Middle East; and the fifth considers Saudi Arabia's role in Sunni extremism and terrorism. The final chapter looks at emerging security threats for Saudi Arabia. The book includes an overview of future challenges and risks including climate change, water shortages, and problems of Saudi identity and social dispersion.

Conspiracy theories, while not unique to the Middle East, are a salient feature of the political discourses of the region. Strongly reflecting and impacting on state-society relations and indigenous impressions of the world beyond the region, they affect how political behaviour within and among the states of the region is situated, structured, and controlled.Discounting the common pathological explanation for conspiracism, the author argues that a complex mix of political factors account for most conspiracy theories in the contemporary Arab world. The author argues that the region’s modern history, genuine conspiracies, the complex and oftentimes strained relationship between state and society, the role of the state and the mass media as conspiracy theorists, and the impacts of new technologies have all helped to develop and sustain conspiracist narratives. Drawing on a range of examples and cases, including the impacts of globalization, economic reform, weak state legitimacy, the war in Iraq, the Arab-Israeli issue, the rise of political Islamism, and internet and satellite television, the book illuminates the complex sources of conspiracy theories.Providing a comprehensive overview of this controversial topic, this book will appeal not only to students and scholars interested in Middle East studies, political science, globalization and conspiracy theories, but to anyone seeking an understanding of the region’s complex economic, social, and cultural dynamics.

Conspiracy theories, while not unique to the Middle East, are a salient feature of the political discourses of the region. Strongly reflecting and impacting on state-society relations and indigenous impressions of the world beyond the region, they affect how political behaviour within and among the states of the region is situated, structured, and controlled.Discounting the common pathological explanation for conspiracism, the author argues that a complex mix of political factors account for most conspiracy theories in the contemporary Arab world. The author argues that the region’s modern history, genuine conspiracies, the complex and oftentimes strained relationship between state and society, the role of the state and the mass media as conspiracy theorists, and the impacts of new technologies have all helped to develop and sustain conspiracist narratives. Drawing on a range of examples and cases, including the impacts of globalization, economic reform, weak state legitimacy, the war in Iraq, the Arab-Israeli issue, the rise of political Islamism, and internet and satellite television, the book illuminates the complex sources of conspiracy theories.Providing a comprehensive overview of this controversial topic, this book will appeal not only to students and scholars interested in Middle East studies, political science, globalization and conspiracy theories, but to anyone seeking an understanding of the region’s complex economic, social, and cultural dynamics.

Matthew Gray provides a modern economic history and political economy of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – countries that collectively are of huge importance within the global economy. Focusing on the period since 1945 and especially on the last twenty years, the book outlines the main factors that have shaped these diverse nations, discussing problems of state formation and ruling elite legitimacy, the role of oil and gas, the challenges of economic geography, the wider international political setting and its impacts and constraints to economic reform.The book examines the key structures that have shaped Gulf economic systems tightly controlled by the state, and a core group of political elites including royal and merchant families, alongside topics more often overlooked, such as the personalization of economics, the role of women, young people and expatriate workers, climate change and environmental problems and wealth inequality.

Matthew Gray provides a modern economic history and political economy of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates – countries that collectively are of huge importance within the global economy. Focusing on the period since 1945 and especially on the last twenty years, the book outlines the main factors that have shaped these diverse nations, discussing problems of state formation and ruling elite legitimacy, the role of oil and gas, the challenges of economic geography, the wider international political setting and its impacts and constraints to economic reform.The book examines the key structures that have shaped Gulf economic systems tightly controlled by the state, and a core group of political elites including royal and merchant families, alongside topics more often overlooked, such as the personalization of economics, the role of women, young people and expatriate workers, climate change and environmental problems and wealth inequality.