Recent developments in the Gulf--including the war in Iraq and the crisis surrounding the Iranian nuclear program--are presenting new challenges to security and stability in the region. Such international developments are exacerbated by regional factors such as increasing openness to the global economy and demographic stresses stemming from vast immigration into the GCC states. In this volume experts discuss the security threats and the opportunities Gulf countries face today with special reference to the foreign military presence in the region the instability stemming from Iraq Iran and the impact of the US war on terror as well as terrorism. They investigate the need to establish a coherent and permanent defense system in the region and address internal security challenges facing the Gulf countries which have cross-border repercussions such as organized crime migrant labor and terrorism.
