The Policies of the Gulf Regimes in Facing of the Repercussions of the Arab Uprisings: With Application to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman Sultanate and Bahrain

Abstract

The current study aims to scrutinize and analyze the Gulf regimes' policies in facing of the repercussions of the Arab uprisings. The research has selected four countries as case studies, which are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman Sultanate and Bahrain. In this vein, the study seeks to answer the main question: to what extent the Gulf regimes succeeded in facing the repercussions of the Arab uprisings? To answer this question, the study adopts the theoretical framework of the functional-structural approach, which has been developed by Gabriel Almond. This approach contains four main functional requirements, which are: structure, function, performance style and capabilities. The study has focused on system performance and capabilities in order to analyze the outputs, capabilities and performance of the Gulf regimes, and the extent to which the interaction of these capabilities contributes to the stability of the political system and increase its ability to adapt to changing circumstances and challenges. The study has reached many findings, the most important of which is that the Gulf countries have had the ability to face the repercussions of the popular uprisings, leading to the decline of them.