Beyond Oil: Unity and Development in the

Since the 1960s, the Arab countries of the Gulf have been completely transformed. Oil brought undreamed-of prosperity to this vast but thinly populated region, once a backwater but suddenly at the forefront of world politics. The future seemed assured, yet… “Beyond Oil” presents a challenging look at the Arab Gulf states. A survey of social and economic life before the discovery of oil is followed by a critical assessment of the twenty years from 1966-1986. Looking behind the apparent stability, Muhammad Rumaihi argues that political unity throughout the region is essential if genuine social and economic development is to be achieved.