Rentier States and International Relations Theory

The state plays a central position in theoretical debates in International Relations (IR). Both Realists and Liberals see the state as the central actor in the international system and thereby follow a Western understanding of the state as the holder of the monopoly of force. In the IRsub discipline of security studies new categories such as weak state, quasi state or state failure have created new debates in recent years. These debates have been limited to two ideal types, the strong state (Western Europe and North America) and the weak state (in the Third World, mainly in Africa). States that fit neither characterisation, like most Arab Middle Eastern states, have not been treated in the debate. The concept of the rentier state offers interesting bridges, as it allows to analyse states that are both strong (in the area of security) and weak (in the area of representation and legitimacy). In addition to this, the concept of the rentier state allows a broader conceptualisation of the state in IR that links the internal form of the state to its foreign policy. Specifically in the case of rentier states, this is the economic foundation of the state which allows in boom periods the allocation of welfare benefits to society at large and which in times of fiscal crises sees a renegotiation of state-society relations and with it adjustments in foreign policies. This article highlights the potential of the rentier state concept for general IR with special reference to the Arab Middle East.