Bahrain and the Gulf: Past Perspectives and Alternative Futures by Nugent, Jeffrey J.; Thomas, Theodore [Editor] - 1985-02-01

St. Martin's Press, 1985-02-01. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. St. Martins Press, New York [Published Date: 1985]. Hardcover, 221 pp. First US Edition. Very good in very good dust jacket. Black cloth covered boards with gold lettering on spine. Light bumping and scuffing to edges of covers. Binding tight. Pages lightly aged but clean and unmarked with light spotting to end papers. Dust jacket has a few small nicks and light creasing along edges. Original price sticker on back cover. Light overall scuffing, aging and soiling to jacket as well. Now in an archival-quality (removable) Brodart Cover. NOT Ex-Library. NO remainder marks. [from front jacket flap] After the oil discoveries of the early 1930s, Bahrain rapidly became an oil exporting country with a relatively high income per capita. More recently Bahrain has succeeded in diversifying its oil dominated economy by developing regional banking and other services, and a variety of light and heavy industries. Various circumstances have combined to make Bahrain a leader among the Arab Gulf States in the transformation of traditional Arabic tribal societies into modern social and economic structures. This book, first published in 1985, in exploring the past, present and possible futures of Bahrain and the Gulf, attempts to describe the nature of this transformation. It estimates to what extent Bahrain has merely an outward appearance of modernity, and explores the conflicts between the compelling power of modern values and the pervasive traditional religions. Bahrain is not typical of the Arab countries of the Gulf; it may, however, serve as a gauge of their current position and likely future. It will therefore be valuable to those interested in gaining more insight into the history and politics of the Middle East during this period of rapid change. Contents include: Section 1. Introduction; section 2. The historical, social and cultural settings; Section 3. Political economy and resource management; Section 4. Alternative economic futures of Bahrain and the Gulf.