The global energy sector may be more subject to market forces than it used to be, but management is still required in the interests of both producers and consumers. Market management is not easy, however, in unstable regions such as the Middle East. In the name of protecting the free flow of oil, the United States is now so entrenched in the security arrangements of the Gulf that it has become as much a local as an external actor, and is likely to remain so as long as Iraq is considered a threat. In fact, Iraq is a regional security emergency waiting to happen, while in Iran and the GCC states, the real preoccupations are internal socio-economic imperatives. This book, the latest in a series of publications produced in association with the Research and Studies Division of the Crown Prince Court in Abu Dhabi, gives a sharp depiction of how regional political dynamics are determining the energy scene in the Gulf. Published in association with Division of Research and Studies, Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi.