ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the regional characteristics of the three smallest states—virtually city-states: Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The three states had reserves of about 130 bn bbl and an average production of 3.85 mn bpd. The body of water almost enclosed by the Arabian Peninsula and the Iranian coast is variously designated as the Persian Gulf, Arabian Gulf, Persian/Arabian Gulf, or, increasingly, simply the Gulf. By whatever name, it is now well known because of its oil resources and its place in news headlines during the wars of 1980—1988, 1990—1991, and 2003 onward—leaving no doubt about the explosive significance of Gulf geopolitics. Before the 1930s, the region was little known in the West other than by a few British officials and adventurers. Then between 1960 and 1985, the span of one generation, the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula underwent a dramatic transformation.
