Week 3 .pptx

International Relations of the Gulf Region State formation in the Gulf • The state is historically associated with modern European conceptions and institutions that do not necessarily correspond to middle east realities, even in the late twentieth century. (Philip Khoury) • The state is associated...

International Relations of the Gulf Region State formation in the Gulf • The state is historically associated with modern European conceptions and institutions that do not necessarily correspond to middle east realities, even in the late twentieth century. (Philip Khoury) • The state is associated with a particular bounded territory over which it exercises a monopoly of coercive authority. (Philip Khoury) • Wars make states and states make wars (Charles Tilly) • Legitimacy implies myths and symbols which provide a kind of ideological rationalization and justification for this monopoly of coercive authority. (ibid) • But in the middle East, the monarchs, military officers, and other elites that have come to power in the twentieth century have faced varying degrees of difficulty in building exclusive monopolies of coercive authority and control largely because they have been unsuccessful in developing the forms of popular legitimacy necessary to support their rule. (ibid) • Therefore, they have faced opposition arid resistance from a variety of social and political forces, including tribes. (ibid) Cont’… • Factors that contribute to state formation in the Gulf: • • • • • Tribe External actors (British) - Colonial Influence: Domestic factors Discovery of oil Leadership The making of the modern gulf states • Two external factors have played a determining role in the establishment and evolution of the Gulf states: • Their strategic location on the route to India, which led directly to the relationship with Britain • And existence of vast oil resources • Colonial Influence: • European colonial powers, particularly the British, played a significant role in shaping the political landscape of the Persian Gulf region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The British established a presence in the Gulf and signed treaties with various local sheikhdoms and emirates to protect their interests, including access to oil and strategic waterways. These treaties often granted protection to the ruling families in exchange for exclusive rights to foreign affairs and defense. As a result, some Gulf states, such as the Trucial States (now the United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain, emerged as British protectorates. • Rulers had direct relations with British officials and representatives. • Rulers signed treaties in return of protection • No Gulf states was allowed to make direct contact with another county. • British were not intervening in the domestic politics as long as their interests were not affected. • This means that the British did not introduce any socioeconomic reforms; no schools, hospitals and no public services. • It also led to strengthen positions of rulers. • Travel documents were issued by British officials • The discovery of oil led the British to maintain their presence in the Gulf. Discovery of oil • The arrival of oil companies started a new era for the region. • The entry of the oil companies in search of concessions soon after World War I was to become a major milestone in the socio- political and economic evolution of the region (Zahlan) • The influence of the oil was felt in two different areas: • They upheld and perpetuated the political units which had evolved and developed under British aegis; • They acted as agents of major change. • Oil allowed the Gulf states to maintain their old political systems long after the end of the colonial era. • British played a role in oil and signed with agreements with rulers of the Gulf; with Bahrain in 1930 and one with Kuwait in 1934, Qatar in 1935. • The involvement of the British allowed them to control boundries. • This served to underline the separateness of each state and thus to cause each to identity itself as a separate political unit. • It was inevitable that tension, and in some cases, hostilities, between neighboring states resulted; each extended its territorial claim to the largest possible area. • This led to the beginning of the border disputes; Qatar UAE, Saudi Arabia Qatar, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabi Kuwait, Oman UAE…etc. • This led, with British permission, to have contact with outside world, particularly oil companies. • As the barriers of isolation were lifted, an awareness of the political and economic realities of the Gulf region began to grown. • The US began to show great interests in the region; it was in Bahrain that an American oil company, the Standard Oil Company of California, first obtained a concession. The position of ruler • The combined effect of the relationship with Britain and the opening of the region by the oil companies had a powerful local impact on the role of central authority. • The most important element in the political evolution of the Gulf states was the position of the ruler. • He signed treaties and was responsible for the application of all their clauses. • Before arrival of the oil companies, the rulers had assumed a generally passive role in their respective relationships with Britain. • But after arrival of oil, rulers became more active and dynamic; his signature was essential to the business in hand, he was allowed to participate in the discussions, representative and the ruler. • The rulers realized the new advantages; he was aware of the economic benefits – though not perhaps of their extent – that could be derived from the discovery of oil. • Therefore, he held out for the best financial terms possible. • However, some rulers preferred political rather than commercial gains; such as the case of Shaikh Abdallah of Qatar in 1945, and Kuwaiti preferred economic over political. • The British policy of non-interference allowed the rulers a relatively free hand in governing.