Energy Kingdoms: Oil and Political Survival in the Persian

Energy Kingdoms: Oil and Political Survival in the Persian Gulf (Center on Global Energy Policy Series)

After the discovery of oil in the 1930s, the Gulf monarchiesâ€•Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrainâ€•went from being among the worldâ€™s poorest and most isolated places to some of its most ostentatiously wealthy. To maintain support, the ruling sheikhs provide their subjects with boundless cheap energy, unwittingly leading to some of the highest consumption rates on earth. Today, as summertime temperatures set new records, the Gulfâ€™s rulers find themselves caught in a dilemma: can they curb their profligacy without jeopardizing the survival of some of the worldâ€™s last absolute monarchies?

In Energy Kingdoms, Jim Krane takes readers inside these monarchies to consider their conundrum. He traces the history of the Gulf statesâ€™ energy use and policies, looking in particular at how energy subsidies have distorted demand. Oil exports are the lifeblood of their political-economic systemsâ€•and the basis of their strategic importanceâ€•but domestic consumption has begun eating into exports while climate change threatens to render their desert region uninhabitable. At risk are the sheikhdomsâ€™ way of life, their relations with their Western protectors, and their political stability in a chaotic region. Backed by rich fieldwork and deep knowledge of the region, Krane expertly lays out the hard choices that Gulf leaders face to keep their states viable.
Country USA
Brand Columbia University Press
Manufacturer Columbia University Press
Binding Hardcover
ItemPartNumber 52821897
ReleaseDate 2019-01-08
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780231179300

Country	USA
Brand	Columbia University Press
Manufacturer	Columbia University Press
Binding	Hardcover
ItemPartNumber	52821897
ReleaseDate	2019-01-08
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780231179300

Energy Kingdoms: Oil and Political Survival in the Persian Gulf (Center on Global Energy Policy Series)

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