Shias in the Gulf Monarchies and their Relations with Iran

In the Gulf monarchies as in other countries of the Middle East, the Shia communities are regularly suspected of being a fifth column of Iran. Iran does have an influence in these countries through their Shia populations but it is exercised in different ways according to the local contexts and, in particular, the way the relations between the Shias and the states have been shaped over the different steps of the state formation process. In order to explain these variations, the presentation will look at the context of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait in comparative perspective.