The Political Transformation of Gulf Tribal States : Eelitism and the Ssocial Contract in Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai, 1918-1970s

The reform movements and attempts to establish parliamentary institutions in the Persian Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai between the First World War and the independent era of the 1970s were not inspired by western example or by any tradition of civil representation. The move to a parliamentary system not only represented a milestone in the history of the region, creating a legacy for future generations, but was a unique transition in the Arab world. The transformation of these states from loose chiefdoms of minimal coherence and centralization, into centralizing and institutionalized monarchies, involved the setting up of primary institutions of government, the demarcation of borders, and establishment of a monarchical order. As this new political and social order evolved, ideas of national struggle and national rights penetrated Gulf societies. Gulf citizens who had spent time in Arab states, mostly in Egypt and Iraq, took part in the genesis of a public Arab-Gulf national discourse, enabling the Gulf population to become acquainted with national struggles for independence. As a result merchants of notable families, newly educated elements, and even workers, began to oppose the dominance of the rulers. Both the rulers and the commercial elites (including members of the ruling families) tried to formulate a new and different social contract with the rulers seeking to entrench their political power by using new administrative means and financial power. Opposition against this current crystallized in 1938 among the ranks of the commercial oligarchy as well as within the ruling families. In spite of its failure to create its own political institutions, the oligarchy remained the foremost social and economic class. But the ruling families could no longer treat national oil revenues as their private income, and they began to channel part of these funds to public needs. The most important consequence of the '1938' movement was the formation of a new social contract between the two traditional power centers: the governing structures were fitted into the political and economic reality brought about by the oil wealth, but remained essentially tribal and committed to the power division between the major Gulf families. This study details how the reform movements and attempts to establish parliamentary institutions in the Persian Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, and Dubai between the First World War and the independent era of the 1970s represented a milestone in the history of the region, creating a legacy for future generations, but was a unique transition in the Arab world. An important work to understanding the history of the Persian Gulf states, the book illustrates how, as this new political and social order evolved, ideas of national struggle and national rights penetrated Gulf societies. Gulf citizens who had spent time in Arab states, mostly in Egypt and Iraq, took part in the genesis of a public Arab–Gulf national discourse, enabling the Gulf population to become acquainted with national struggles for independence. Front Cover 1 About the Book & About the Author 2 Dedication 3 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Foreword by Prof. Uzi Rabi 9 Preface 10 List of Illustrations 11 Introduction 14 Part I: From Chiefdoms to Tribal States: Kuwait, Bahrain, and Dubai until 1930 22 Introduction to Part I 24 Chapter 1: Foundations of the Tribal State 26 Tribal Society in Transition 26 Kuwait: The Essence of a Tribal Merchant State 29 Bahrain: Tribal–State Relations 32 Dubai: Chiefdom and State 36 Summary 41 Chapter 2: Relations between Merchant Elites and Ruling Families: From the late Nineteenth Century to the Early 1920s 42 The Roots of Political Rivalry between the Elites and Ruling Families 42 Kuwait: Sources of Utub Elite Power 45 Undermining the Status of the Utub Elite 48 Bahrain: Tribal Elite–State Conflict 55 Dubai: The al-Maktoum Family and the Tribal Elite 63 Summary 66 Chapter 3: The Rise of the Tribal State in the 1920s 68 Kuwait: The 1921 Majlis 69 The Elite between Crisis and Reform 77 Bahrain: Institutionalization of the Tribal State 81 Uprising of the Tribal Elite 86 Dubai: Preservation of the Tribal State 91 Schism and Crisis in the al-Maktoum Family 92 Summary of Part I 99 Part II: The Change in Tribal Policy: The Period of Centralism and Parliamentarianism, 1930–1938 102 Introduction to Part II 104 Chapter 4: Modernization, Tradition and the Utub Elite in Kuwait 107 The Concentration of Power: Sheikh Ahmad al-Sabah 107 The Demand for Reforms in the Second Half of the 1930s 111 Sheikh Ahmad al-Sabah’s Foreign Policy 114 The Reform Movement of 1938 119 Chapter 5: Dubai: Tradition and Modernization 129 Attempts at Regime Change 129 The Weakening of the Tribal Elite 133 Dubai’s Reform Movement of 1938 137 Chapter 6: Bahrain: Modernization of the Tribal State in the 1930s 146 Building State Institutions 146 The Shiite Reform Movement of 1935 150 The Reform Movement of 1938 153 Britain and the Reform Movement of 1938 162 The Failure of the 1938 Reform Movement 167 Summary of Part II 170 Part III: Parliamentarianism and Tribalism: The Crisis Years, 1938–1940 176 Introduction to Part III 178 Chapter 7: Kuwait’s Legislative Council, 1938–1939 181 The Struggle over the Legislative Council’s Powers 181 Modernization of the Tribal State 184 Opposition to the Legislative Council 189 Dissolution of the Legislative Council 196 Election of the Second Legislative Council and Debate over its Powers 201 The Failure of the Kuwaiti Constitutional Council 209 Chapter 8: Dubai’s Legislative Council, 1938–1940 213 Institutionalization of the Tribal State 213 The Power Struggle between the Legislative Council and Sheikh Sa’id al-Maktoum 217 The Violent Dissolution of the Legislative Council 221 Explaining the Legislative Council’s Failure 225 Part IV: Parliamentarianism in the Age of Independence 228 Introduction to Part IV 230 Chapter 9: The Development of a New Political Culture 233 Conflicts within the Kuwaiti al-Sabah Family Prior to Independence 233 A New Political Culture in the al-Sabah family 237 The Integration of the Merchant Families into State-building 240 Parliamentarianism in the Age of Independence 244 Chapter 10: The Evolution of Tribal Autocracy in Bahrain 252 Demands for Political Reforms 252 Failure of the Opposition 259 Autocracy Put to the Test 264 Conclusion 274 Notes 282 Bibliography 320 Index 328 Back Cover 351 This study details how the reform movements and attempts to establish parliamentary institutions in the Persian Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain, and Dubai between the First World War and the independent era of the 1970s represented a milestone in the history of the region, creating a legacy for future generations, but was a unique transition in the Arab world. An important work to understanding the history of the Persian Gulf states, the book illustrates how, as this new political and social order evolved, ideas of national struggle and national rights penetrated Gulf societies. Gulf citizens who had spent time in Arab states, mostly in Egypt and Iraq, took part in the genesis of a public Arab–Gulf national discourse, enabling the Gulf population to become acquainted with national struggles for independence. "The reform movements and attempts to establish parliamentary institutions in the Persian Gulf states of Kuwait, Bahrain and Dubai between the First World War and the independent era of the 1970s were not inspired by western example or by any tradition of civil representation. The move to a parliamentary system not only represented a milestone in the history of the region, creating a legacy for future generations, but was a unique transition in the Arab world. The transformation of these states from loose chiefdoms of minimal coherence and centralization, into centralizing and institutionalized monarchies, involved the setting up of primary institutions of government, the demarcation of borders, and establishment of a monarchical order. As this new political and social order evolved, ideas of national struggle and national rights penetrated Gulf societies. Gulf citizens who had spent time in Arab states, mostly in Egypt and Iraq, took part in the genesis of a public Arab-Gulf national discourse, enabling the Gulf population to become acquainted with national struggles for independence. As a result merchants of notable families, newly educated elements, and even workers, began to oppose the dominance of the rulers. Both the rulers and the commercial elites (including members of the ruling families) tried to formulate a new and different social contract with the rulers seeking to entrench their political power by using new administrative means and financial power"--Provided by publisher. Part I. From chiefdoms to tribal states : Kuwait, Bahrain, and Dubai until 1930 Foundations of the tribal state Relations between the merchant elites and ruling families : from the late nineteenth century to the early 1920s The rise of the tribal state in the 1920s Part II. The change in tribal policy : the period of centralism and parliamentarianism, 1930-1938 Modernization, tradition and the Utub elite in Kuwait Dubai : tradition and modernization Bahrain : modernization of the tribal state in the 1930s Part III. Parliamentarianism and tribalism : the crisis years, 1938-1940 Kuwait's legislative council, 1938-1939 Dubai's legislative council, 1938-1940 Part IV. Parliamentarianism in the period of independence The development of a new political culture.