AngloArabia Why Gulf Wealth Matters to Britain

UK ties with Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf monarchies are under the spotlight as never before. Huge controversy surrounds Britain’s alliances with these deeply repressive regimes, and the UK’s key supporting role in the disastrous Saudi-led intervention in Yemen has lent added urgency to the debate. What lies behind the British government’s decision to place politics before principles in the Gulf? Why have Anglo-Arabian relations grown even closer in recent years, despite ongoing, egregious human rights violations?

In this ground-breaking analysis, David Wearing argues that the Gulf Arab monarchies constitute the UK’s most important and lucrative alliances in the global south. They are central both to the British government’s ambitions to retain its status in the world system, and to its post-Brexit economic strategy. Exploring the complex and intertwined structures of UK-Gulf relations in trade and investment, arms sales and military cooperation, and energy, Wearing shines a light on the shocking lengths to which the British state has gone in order to support these regimes. As these issues continue to make the headlines, this book lifts the lid on ‘AngloArabia’ and what’s at stake for both sides.

David Wearing is a Teaching Fellow in International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Tables and Figures

Introduction

Chapter 1 (–) Empire’s Legacy

Chapter 2 Oil and Gas: the Strategic and Commercial Prize

Chapter 3: British neoliberalism and Gulf capitalism: a perfect fit.

Chapter 4: How important is Gulf wealth to British capitalism?

Chapter 5: Arming Authoritarianism

Chapter 6: The Arab Uprisings and the War in Yemen

Conclusions