The Persian gulf region as a subject of international political regional studies

This article discusses the criteria that give the Persian Gulf zone the status of one of the international regions, as well as defines the features of this political space. Eight states - Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq and Iran - are located at a relatively small distance from each other; they have a common border along the Persian Gulf. Besides, these states are similar in political (authoritarianism), economic (hydrocarbon export) and cultural (Islam as an official religion) field. According to the authors, in addition to the high level of militarization and instability, the main feature of this international region is a strong influence of external actors, primarily the United States. The study proves that Saudi Arabia is the only regional power in the region that faces growing competition from challengers.