In “Sectarian Gulf: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Spring That Wasn’t”, Toby Matthiesen explores the impact of sectarianism during the “Arab Spring” in the Gulf. Drawing on his fieldwork, Matthiesen focuses on Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and to a lesser degree Kuwait and Oman. The book deals exclusively with the sectarian aspects of the Arab uprisings in the Gulf region. Matthiesen’s main argument is that the Gulf rulers kept their monarchies stable throughout the uprisings due to their successful securitization of sectarianism.

Reviewed by Hamdullah Baycar for Sharq Forum