Publication Date

2022

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

First Advisor

Thurber, Ches

Degree Name

M.A. (Master of Arts)

Legacy Department

Department of Political Science

Abstract

As the world moves forward in its efforts towards maintaining global security and peace, we witness that many nations face challenges while forming alliances as they encounter threats from neighboring states. The study of alliance formation in the field of international relations is mostly centered around the concept of security, however this thesis will highlight the importance of considering other factors that influence alliance formation such as religion and economy. The thesis will discuss the case of the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in dealing with the neighboring Islamic Republic of Iran which is considered a threat to regional and global security since its establishment. The Islamic revolution of 1979 changed the security and social landscape of the Middle East region leading to the rise of key challenges that include the spread of sectarian narratives, extremist groups, proxy wars and decades of conflict in the region. The revolution led the Arab Gulf states into the formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council as an alliance, however their policies towards Iran vary. The thesis will reflect the different policies of the Gulf states towards Iran based on security, religion and economy.

Extent

53 pages

Language

eng

Publisher

Northern Illinois University

Rights Statement

In Copyright

Rights Statement 2

NIU theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from Huskie Commons for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without the written permission of the authors.

Media Type

Text

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