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Abu Dhabi
CNN
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When Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in 1952, Britain was the dominant power in the Middle East and North Africa. It had direct control over protectorates such as Sudan, Egypt and Iraq and indirect control over Gulf states such as Bahrain, Qatar, and what is now the United Arab Emirates, that had signed treaties with Britain.
But within just three decades of her rule, she witnessed her country’s supremacy in the Middle East crumble as her empire shrank.
Much of Britain’s traditional control in the region had been rooted in monarchies that had either been imposed or backed by it through close ties to its royal family. But by 1971, all its Middle Eastern protectorates had gained independence as the cost of running Britain’s empire mounted.
Still, British influence in the region, particularly in the Gulf Arab states, remained strong, not least through Queen Elizabeth and the monarchy.
“Britain’s role and the legacy it had in the Gulf was very different from the legacy Britain left behind in Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, and Yemen, where Britain was basically kicked out,” said James Onley, professor of history at the American University of Sharjah who has studied the relationship between Britain and Gulf monarchies. “When Britain announced in 1968 that it would be withdrawing its military from the Gulf, and its protection from the small Gulf states, the Gulf states asked Britain not to leave.”
After its withdrawal, Britain built strategic partnerships with Gulf states involving defense, security, investment and energy interests – and the royal family played a role in safeguarding that relationship….
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Source : cnn
