Bahrain

Bahrain, a small yet geopolitically prized and culturally complex country has been propelled to the headlines, but Emile Nakhleh was there first. His seminal account of Bahrain's political development brims with insights every bit as topical as today's news. I was not surprised to learn that the Arabic translation of the volume is much respected in Bahrain. Nakhleh's extensive fieldwork began not long after the Gulf state won independence. His intricate, richly detailed accounts of political socialization, government institutions and practices, as well as associational life remain relevant. Any serious reader interested in Gulf politics will want to have Nakhleh's rewarding study of Bahrain at hand, particularly to understand how political power and influence are sustained and wielded. -- Augustus Richard Norton, Boston University