ABSTRACT
The fact that the Persian Gulf has become a global hub of commerce and finance has drawn more attention to a region that is not only economically vulnerable to the chronic boom-and-bust cycles tied to the price of oil but is also a potential target of political instability or upheaval. In recent decades, migration patterns and related cross-cultural influences across the Indian Ocean littoral have added to the significance of this sub-region. More specifically, the influx of migrant workers and immigrants to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states—Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates—raises uncertainty there over issues such as food security and sectarian tensions.
