The central argument of this book is based on the existence of non-universal but coexisting values that inspire humanitarianism, and the confrontation between values and practices in humanitarian aid implementation. The Gulf States, like any other donor states, are guided by the structural norms of the aid system and the politicisation of aid itself. However, originating from a different political and cultural background, including different Islamic understandings, they bring with them distinct practices and approaches within the system that can no longer be ignored. Altea Pericoli brings together an analysis of Islamic norms and foreign aid interventions by the Gulf States through the study of various levels of aid implementation and policies, and examines their behaviour in a specific case study: the Syrian humanitarian response from 2015 to 2022. The analysis explores the top-down decision-making process of aid allocation by Qatar, the UAE and non-state regional actors, as well as the humanitarian negotiations and aid distribution conducted by Gulf charities and local organisations in Syria after 2015.

This is an impressive and original work, rich in empirical data and a robust analytical framework. Highly recommended for anyone wishing to better understand how Qatar and the UAE are positioning themselves as the new centers of power and influence in the Middle East. -- Mehran Kamrava, Georgetown University
A crucial contribution to scholarship on transnational aid flows from the non-western world, Pericoli offers a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding the political economies of Arab Gulf aid against a sweeping backdrop of critical global events. In a time of shifting geopolitics, it is a must read for anyone working in the field of humanitarianism and development. -- Radhika Gupta, Leiden University
A remarkable work that pulls the Gulf State funders of Qatar and the UAE front and center in understanding foreign aid interventions…While using the swiftly changing case of Syria, Pericoli weaves together history, Islamic studies, political science, and international relations into a notable work that will benefit both scholars of the region and those studying contemporary aid theories and practices for a long time to come.” -- Sarah A. Tobin, Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI) - Bergen

Altea Pericoli is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (2025–2028) jointly affiliated with the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and the Department of Economics at Ca’ Foscari University. From 2024 to 2025, she held a postdoctoral position in geopolitics and regional cooperation at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University. Her research focuses on the history of foreign aid provided by the Gulf States and on the values and norms of Islamic Humanitarianism. In 2023, she was awarded the Early Career Development Scholarship by the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies to develop her PhD dissertation into a monograph.