Une affaire de famille. Reconfiguration du pacte oligarchique dans les monarchies de Bahreïn et d’Abou Dhabi au début du XXIe siècle

Abstract

The economic elite of the six monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula have played a crucial role in perpetuating the authoritarian order since the 1970s. The 2011-2012 popular uprisings highlighted the business oligarchy’s resistance to political change as well as their increasingly limited latitude of action in the political field. Using the case studies of Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, this paper will analyze the growing involvement of members of the ruling families in the business sector (both in a personal capacity and through the control of state-owned funds and companies) and the implications of this shift for the wider issues of the ruling bargain and authoritarian legitimacy in the Gulf.