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Semester 1

The Persian Gulf in International Relations (PLIT10142)

Subject

Politics

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed 4 Politics courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses, and we cannot consider interdisciplinary courses or courses without sufficient Politics/Government/International Relations focus. **Please see Additional Restrictions below**

Course Summary

This course offers an introduction to the international politics of the Persian Gulf, specifically the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates), Iraq, Iran and Yemen from the protectorate period until the current day. A sub-region of intense and enduring international interest and engagement, the course also considers the foreign policies of external powers (US, UK, Russia and China) towards this distinct important sub-region of the Middle East and the explanatory problems that it presents for International Relations theory.

Course Description

The geopolitical position of the Persian Gulf ensures that it is an enduring foreign policy interest to states both within and external to the Gulf region. Before delving into contemporary issues, this course begins with an historical overview of the security politics of the Persian Gulf shaped initially by the British Empire's Persian Gulf Residency and its subsequent security conventions. Each week will then address a contemporary issue in the international relations of the Persian Gulf including: The Iranian Revolution; US, UK, Russia and China policy in the Gulf; Competition for Dominance: Saudi Arabia and Iran; Energy politics: Oil, Gas, Nuclear and the Strait of Hormuz; Collective Security and the Gulf Cooperation Council; Regional Crises: The Iran-Iraq War, The First Gulf War, The Arab Spring, Yemen War, The GCC Diplomatic Crisis 2017. Topics covered will depend on contemporary developments.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 90%, Practical Exam 10%

Additional Restrictions

Unless you are nominated on a Politics exchange agreement, visiting students are only permitted to enrol in one Politics course each, per semester, before the start of the relevant semester’s welcome period – and spaces on each course are limited so cannot be guaranteed for any student. Enrolment in a second Politics course will depend on whether there are still spaces available in the September Welcome Period, and cannot be guaranteed. It is NOT appropriate for students to contact staff within this subject area to ask for an exception to be made; all enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. This is due to the limited number of spaces available in this very popular subject area.

view the timetable and further details for this course