Since the outbreak of the Arab Spring the Middle East is going through a turbulent phase as violence, internal conflicts and civil wars are ravaging a number of countries. Even relatively stable Gulf monarchies are not untouched by the impact of popular demand for change. For India, the Persian Gulf is an extended neighbourhood and the region of vital importance receives scant attention. In the light of the Arab Spring, Iranian nuclear deal and the rise of ISIS, it has become impossible for India to be indifferent to the changing internal dynamics. This anthology presents a broad view of the social, political and economic dimensions of the Gulf region and their relevance and significance through issues such as renewable energy, sustainable development and education policy.

Contents: 1. Introduction/P. R. Kumaraswamy. 2. Investment in renewable energy in the GCC states: status and policy options/Sameena Hameed. 3. Transition to a green economy: emerging challenges for the GCC countries/Kannan Ambalam. 4. Trajectories of education policy in Saudi Arabia/Md. Muddassir Quamar. 5. Shiism, Rentier State and illiberal democracy in Iran/Mahnaz Zahirinejad. 6. Sectarianism, geopolitical rivalry and the Syrian civil war/Stanly Johny. 7. The widening gulf: Arab spring and the Saudi-Iranian divide/Prasanta Kumar Pradhan. 8. Qatar-Hamas relations: between strategic calculations and ideological ties/Tsupokyemla. 9. India – GCC FTA: ray of opportunities/Sayeeda Khatoon. 10. Thicker than oil: the India-Iraqi Ties/Kallol Bhattacherjee. 11. Profile: Gulshan Dietl. 12. Profile: Prakash Chandra Jain. 13. Profile: Girijesh Pant. Index.