AcknowledgementsAbbreviationsMapIntroduction1 A theoretical and conceptual framework2 Politics in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia: state formation, political consolidation and reform3 Politics in the United Arab Emirates: state consolidation, security and ambition4 Iran: a supreme ontological threat5 The Middle East: counter-revolutionaries united?6 United States: partisan politics, carte blanche and policy variation7 China's Belt and Road Initiative: bilateralism versus alliances8 Relations with Europe: conditionality and unity9 Russia: arms, energy and ideology10 The Horn of Africa: security on the western flank11 India and Pakistan: shifting tides of interaction and dependency12 Japan and the Republic of Korea: institutionalising ties amid strategic uncertainty13 Indonesia and Malaysia: transnationalism and Islamic leadershipConclusionIndex