f Editorial

This issue of the Journal of Gulf Studies delivers comprehensive and interdisciplinary insights into critical developments in the Gulf region. The focus is on modernization strategies of Gulf states as instruments of political legitimacy through which state stability is maintained in the context of moving away from traditional forms of legitimacy, particularly based on religious foundations. Field analysis contributes towards a fresh interpretation of Kuwait’s welfare state formation without the usual emphasis on social conflicts but on internal ruling family dynamics. In addition, this edition explores how the middle powers Argentina and Qatar maintained their evolving diplomatic and economic relations between 2011 and 2023, which led to strategies for economic diversification and geopolitical concerns. The journal also explores Gulf aid policies towards green diplomacy and how environmental projects are used as a politically motivated tool to expand geopolitical influence and follow global climate agreements. In complement to these studies, critical reviews of the two latest influential publications are featured.