Description

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Tribe-state relations are a foundational element of authoritarian bargains in the Middle East - particularly in the Gulf States. However, the structures of governance built upon that foundation exhibit wide differences. What explains this variation in the salience of kinship authority? Through a case comparison of Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, Scott Weiner shows that variation in tribal access to limited resources before state building can account for these differences. Based on empirical data and over 50 interviews with former government officials, tribal leaders, civil society activists andstudents, the book reveals important new details about state formation on the Arabian Peninsula.

About the Author

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Scott Weiner is a professorial lecturer in political science at George Washington University. His research focuses on identity politics in the Arab Gulf states, ethnic politics, and gender. From 2013-14 he was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Gulf Studies Center of the American University of Kuwait. In 2015, his research was recognized with a Doctoral Paper Award from the Association for the Study of Nationalities. His academic work has appeared in the International Feminist Journal of Politics and Political Studies Review, and he has written short pieces for the Washington Post as well as the Carnegie Endowment, Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, Lawfare, Small Wars Journal, and the Diplomatic Courier.