Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours

Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours

Tensions between Iran and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf have emerged as a major fault line in Middle East politics, sparking fears of greater conflicts ahead. The contributors of this volume use their deep knowledge of the region to take readers beyond simple stereotypes to explore the complexities of one of the major global challenges of the day. The result is an informative and penetrating assessment that anyone interested in the future of the Persian Gulf should read. James Lindsay, senior vice president at the Council on Foreign Relations USA

Gawdat Bahgat Anoushiravan Ehteshami Neil Quilliam Editors Security and Bilateral Issues between Iran and its Arab Neighbours

Editors Anoushiravan Ehteshami Sch Govt & Intl Affairs, Al-Qasimi Bldg Durham University Durham, United Kingdom Gawdat Bahgat Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies National Defense University (NDU) Washington DC, USA Neil Quilliam MENA Programme The Royal Institute of International Affairs London, United Kingdom ISBN 978-3-319-43288-5 ISBN 978-3-319-43289-2 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-43289-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2016957735 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover design by Jenny Vong Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

To: Alexandra, Emma, and Alison

Acknowledgement This book started with the ambitious plan of filling a glaring gap in the literature on the Persian Gulf what we dubbed the 1+7 relationship. Our deliberations in 2014 resulted in a two-year research dialogue on Iran s relations with its neighbouring Arab states, orchestrated by the al-sabah Programme at Durham University, the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, and the Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University. We were privileged to have been working with a strong team of international experts with deep knowledge of the Persian Gulf sub-region and of the interactions between its states and communities. The contributions to this volume have their roots in the discussions and exchanges which have been taking place between us since our inaugural authors workshop at Chatham House in London in November 2014. Our project succeeded thanks to the close collaboration between its three partners and the army of colleagues and advisors who generously supported us in meeting our objectives, and ensuring that we crossed the finish line with a comprehensive and rich output. We are particularly grateful to Sophie Grant and Jamil De Dominicis at Chatham House, Dr Lorraine Holmes in particular and the Finance Office at Durham University, Anne Barnes and William Turner at the NDU for administrative and logistical support, and to Ursula Heywood (also at Durham) for generous editorial support. The assembled experts and policy analysts did us a great service for providing us with intellectual support, for taking the lead in our various discussions, and for their insightful comments on drafts of commissioned papers. This book project will not have been completed without their support, but any vii

viii Acknowledgement shortcomings in the volume can only rest with us, the editors. Finally, we would like to thank the wonderful editorial team from Palgrave, particularly Sarah Roughley and Samantha Snedden. Gawdat, Anoushiravan, and Neil. June 2016

Contents 1 Security and Bilateral Issues Between Iran and Its Arab Neighbours 1 Gawdat Bahgat, Anoushiravan Ehteshami, and Neil Quilliam 2 Iran s Policy Toward the Persian Gulf: Dynamics of Continuity and Change 11 Shireen Hunter 3 The Gulf in a Wider Context: Outside Nation-States in the Intensifying Iranian- Arab Security Competition 39 Richard L. Russell 4 Iran s Relations with Bahrain 61 Steven Wright 5 Iran and Iraq 81 James J. Walsh 6 Iran and Kuwait 123 Hamad H. Albloshi ix

x Contents 7 Iran-Oman Relations Since the 1970s: A Mutually Beneficial Modus Vivendi 149 Marc Valeri 8 Iran-Qatar Relations 167 Mehran Kamrava 9 Saudi-Iranian Relations: A Troubled Trajectory 189 Awadh Al-Badi 10 Iran-UAE Relations 211 Kristian Coates Ulrichsen 11 Conclusion 229 Gawdat Bahgat, Anoushiravan Ehteshami, and Neil Quilliam Index 241

Notes on Contributors Awadh Al-Badi is a lecturer and faculty member at the Institute of Diplomatic Studies at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. From 1999 to 2010, he worked as a Director of Research at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies. Hamad H. Albloshi is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University. He holds a PhD in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. His recent book is The Eternal Revolution: Hardliners and Conservatives in Iran (I.B. Tauris, 2016). Gawdat Bahgat is professor of National Security Affairs at the National Defense University s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Study. He is an Egyptian-born specialist in Middle Eastern policy, particularly Egypt, Iran, and the Persian Gulf region. His areas of expertise include energy security, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, Arab-Israeli conflict, North Africa, and American foreign policy in the Middle East. Anoushiravan Ehteshami is the Nasser al-mohammad al-sabah Chair in International Relations and Director of the HH Sheikh Nasser al- Mohammad al-sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security. He is Joint Director of the RCUK-funded centre of excellence, the Durham-Edinburgh-Manchester Universities Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW), whose research focus since 2012 has been on the Arab World in Transition. xi

xii Notes on Contributors Shireen T. Hunter is a research professor at Georgetown University s Schools of Foreign Service with which she has been affiliated since 2005. Prior to that she was the Director of Islam Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies with which she had been affiliated since 1983. Mehran Kamrava is Professor and Director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at Georgetown University s School of Foreign Service in Qatar. His most recent books include The Impossibility of Palestine: History, Geography, and the Road Ahead; Qatar: Small State, Big Politics; and The Modern Middle East: A Political History since the First World War, 3rd ed. Neil Quilliam is acting head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme at Chatham House. He first joined Chatham House as a senior research fellow in January 2014, then as senior consulting fellow from September 2014. He previously served as senior MENA energy adviser at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO); senior MENA analyst at Control Risks, London; and senior programme officer at the United Nations University, Amman. Richard L. Russell is Professor of National Security Affairs at the National Defense University s Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. He also serves as Special Advisor to the US Central Command, the US Special Operations Command, and the Joint Special Operations University located in Tampa, Florida. Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is a Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East. Working across the disciplines of political science, international relations, and international political economy, his research examines the changing position of Persian Gulf states in the global order, as well as the emergence of longer-term, non-military challenges to regional security. Marc Valeri After a master s degree in comparative politics, with specialty on Arab and Muslim worlds, Marc Valeri received a PhD in 2005 from Sciences Po, Paris. His work dealt with nation-building and political legitimacy in the Sultanate of Oman since 1970. Jim Walsh is an expert in international security and a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology s Security Studies Program (SSP). Walsh s research and writings focus on international security, and in particular, topics involving nuclear weapons and terrorism.

Notes on Contributors xiii Steven Wright is Associate Professor of International Relations and Gulf Studies with the Department of International Affairs, and is the Associate Dean for Planning and Quality Assurance for the College of Arts and Sciences. Wright is also a graduate faculty member with the Gulf Studies Program.