The Arab Gulf’s Pivot to Asia: From Transactional to Strategic Partnerships

Over the last two decades relations between the countries of the Gulf and Asia have expanded beyond the economic domain to include political and security arrangements. While oil and non-oil trade are still the fulcrum of their association, “strategic” partnerships are fast becoming the norm. The contributors of the book The Arab Gulf’s Pivot to Asia: From Transactional to Strategic Partnerships, edited by Narayanappa Janardhan, argue that along with economic diversification the Gulf countries have also diversified multidimensional aspects of their foreign policies, especially with China, India, Japan, and South Korea. Together with Russia, these changes could eventually alter the current U.S.-centric security architecture in the Gulf, which is key to regional and global stability.

Why did Gulf countries extend relations with Asian countries beyond economic diversification? When did this occur and what events and conditions prompted the shifts? Which Gulf leaders spearheaded this transformation, and what were the varieties of ways in which each Gulf country pivoted to Asia? What developments in Asia affected the nature of this shift? And what are the implications for regional stability and global geopolitics?

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