The chapter explores the coups in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi in the 1960s, where the British intervened to shape the political landscape due to their interest in preventing Nasserist Arab nationalism and ensuring British-controlled progress. It unravels the intricate relationship between British colonial power and the Emirates, shedding light on conflicts within ruling families, the rise of effective leaders like Sheikh Zayed, and the push-pull dynamics of balancing liberalization and Western interests.
Featuring Abdel Razzaq Takriti, this is the TWELFTH episode of Thawra (Revolution), our mini-series on Arab radicalism in the 20th century. Today’s installment tells the story of Saudi Arabia, a country whose reactionary, US-aligned trajectory was throughout the 1950s and 60s challenged by labor strikes, dissident currents, rebellious princes, and an anticolonial oil minister. But Saudi royal conservatism asserted itself and a friendship with Nasser’s Egypt turned into conflict. Ultimately both countries got drawn into North Yemen’s civil war, which sapped Egypt’s military strength ahead of the 1967 war with Israel. Plus: radical politics against British colonial power in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the Trucial States.
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