(DOWNLOAD) "Security in the Persian Gulf 3" by Avi Plascov # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Security in the Persian Gulf 3
- Author : Avi Plascov
- Release Date : January 01, 1982
- Genre: Politics & Current Events,Books,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 1806 KB
Description
By virtue of its size and demographic composition, the Gulf displays a mosaic of racial, ethnic and religious diversity which is criss-crossed by political boundaries. The way in which those states were formed is indicative of the degree of strength inherent in their social and political fabrics. The intention here is not to provide a historical background of the region – a much needed dimension for understanding current and future trends – but rather to highlight a few milestones along the road of these states’ emergence which are of relevance for any debate on the present regimes’ capability to meet the old and new challenges they will be forced to face. It is pointless to discuss the dramatic changes the Gulf is undergoing without alluding, if only briefly, to the foundations upon which such a rapid process is taking place.
The history of the region since the nineteenth century can be described as the product of a complex, fluctuating relationship between three concentric circles of peoples and states: the inner ring embraces the people of the Gulf coasts; the intermediate one is made up of the regional powers based in Baghdad, Riyadh and Tehran; and the outer ring consists of external powers whether Middle Eastern (Egypt and the Ottoman empire) or international such as Russia (later the Soviet Union), India, Western Europe and later the United States. Accordingly, the political structures of the emerging states changed. As power shifted, spheres of influence were constantly altered. As the strategic and economic value of the Gulf became a matter of international concern, the dependence of the local regimes on, and their interactions with, the external powers changed in essence. Thus internal and external forces have combined to influence the evolution of the political identities and institutions which developed in the region.
In pre-Islamic days, tribes were the dominant form of social and political organization among the Bedouin and even among the city dwellers. Tribes varied in their form of organization and in their lineage and these determined their pride and strength and consequently their elevated or inferior status. Every tribe was led by a Sheikh (Arab), Khan (Iranian) or Agha (Kurd) who was elected by the elders from among the most prominent family in the tribe. Where associations of tribes were established, they were led by the stronger tribe. The need to face common enemies produced federations of such associations (like the Shammar and the Anaiza).