Twilight of the British Empire

The End of Colonialism.

Bahrain was not the only country which suffered from the travails of political, social and critical circumstances and fluctuations in the various aspects of life. The whole region was going through a period of transition associated with the travails of various walks of life. The results of the June War were a shock to the Arab that had its subsequent effects.

Britains sun has never set, not until the end of the 1950s and early 1960s, but at this time it began to suffer from a slow diminishing and retreat upon the emergence of gigantic worldly powers, like America, the Soviet Union and China. These powers were racing to occupy the top of the world and to extend their influence over strategic locations in all over the world. Thus, the Arab emotions were ready to welcome any newcomer to the region that comes with the promise of freedom and self-determination for the peoples who suffered long from the yoke of colonialism.

In addition to this, the Arab Consciousness Movement and the enthusiastic Arab national feelings have participated in dramatic changes in several aspects of the Arab arena and had suggestive impact on the nations and citizens in other aspects. In Yemen, the Imama (the Imam reign) was exposed to harsh blows until its death during the revolution of the 26th of December. In Algeria, the struggle of the Algerian people had managed to expel the French imperialists, which added acceleration and strong impetus to the Arab liberation movement from the yoke of colonialism.

India and Pakistan have also fought for their freedom from the lifelong British rule, which governed the region and enslaved, humiliated and degraded the people. Here and there, the national initiatives and liberal movements started to emerge that aimed to undermine the remnants of the British influence. Britain, on the other hand, had suffered from huge economic and financial burdens due to the vastness of the country covered and protected under its mandate and military occupation. In addition, the successive wars and the decreasing resources, which were taken from the fortunes of the peoples it ruled before its liberation of its yoke, have also weakened Britain inner arena.

All these circumstances, in addition to the changes in the global concepts, have urged the British government to issue a degree on the 4th of January 1968 to reduce the British expenditures abroad. Thus, Britain decided to abandon some of its military commitments in the Far East and the areas east of Suez, the Arab Gulf region in particular. On this basis, the British Cabinet laid down a plan that calls for the withdrawal of British forces stationed in the areas mentioned above, and that set the end of December as the deadline for this withdrawal, ending a period of about a hundred and seventy years of British presence in the region. This presence, which actually began around 1800, has a story, even stories reserved by the documents of history.

The Pirates Myth.

In the early 1800s, the Gulf region included a range of tribal entities and chiefdom families, in addition to rulers, Sultans, and Imams who govern here and there are incomplete countries, which lacking many of the necessary institutions for the establishment of the States. The relations between the rulers of most of these entities, the Senate and the sultans was full of contradiction and short-term alliances, not free from greed and envy and even moodiness sometimes. For example, Bahrain, which has been under the rule of Al Khalifa, was suffering from the ambitions of its neighbors in Qatar, the ambitions of "Said bin Sultan," Muscats mighty Governor "1807-1856", and the Iranian, Persian threats that did not stop its threats to occupy Bahrain occupation and annexing it to the Persian lands.
The conditions and circumstances in the sea and the ocean were not better of on the ground; naval traffic has been always threatened by the practices of the western sailors, who were attacking the Arab ships in the open sea, forcing its passengers, the crew and owners to pay royalties for them, or they would rob them, or even abduct them.

Those sailors, the outlaws, were backed with well-equipped vessels, the influence of the military leaders, or the feudal leaders, which made the traffic in the sea, the ocean and the Arabian Gulf toiling under the mercy of these. This made some Arab sailors and navigators launch retaliatory raids on some British and Indian ships of Britain, and these were considered by Britain as pirates, although they were not looting the ships looters, but they were driven by their Arab tribal courage and tribal, religious commitment. They were practicing self-defense of honor, life and money against the real pirates attacks of the Portuguese sailors, the Spaniards, and the British. In general, these conditions reflected a negative impact on the economic life of the sons of the Arab Gulf, who were dependent on trade, diving, and navigation.

This requires us to refer to a historic intervention imposed on us by the reality of the situation and necessitated by the colonial allegations evoked the first British military and marine campaigns against the Arabian Gulf entities. By this we mean the "pirates fairy tale weaved and spread by the British media machine at that time, and later in order to justify Britain's military invasion of the Gulf. In fact, these allegations were, and remain, a justification used by the strong nations to attack one of the growing countries or the one that deviates from its will.

The historical evidences in this regard are various, and there is no need to repeat. However, we here, do not aim to refute the British colonial argument, which has already been refuted by history, but aim to remind those who use this word, with ignorance of the fact that behind it. Unfortunately, some or most of them are intellectuals and educated, but they repeat what had been planted and promoted by the British without thinking of its goals and objectives.

The Arab regulations and entities close to the Gulf are entities with related Arab and tribal regulations and customs; original in its principles: in the protection of strangers, and in not oppressing the weak, and in preserving the honors and money of others from attack. The rules and principles of tribalism, at that time, and until recently, were more influential on people than the official and authoritarian principles. Moreover, the governors of the Gulf entities were ruling by the power and influence of the leader of the tribe and not by the authority of political leadership, in addition to the peoples commitment to the provisions of the Islamic religion.

Enough of this intervention, which we thought should be mentioned due to the duty of research required here. Now we go back to what we were talking about, i.e., the conditions of the region in the beginning of the nineteenth century ... If we referred to the conditions in the Gulf region, now we should look at the outskirts of the Gulf, in Najd and Hijaz, where the Wahhabi movement declared itself and its intentions to reshape the region. Thus, some rulers and sultans have considered it a real threat to their influence and presence. Among these was "Said bin Sultan," the Governor of Muscat, who frequently insisted on Britain to protect him from the threat of the Wahhabi sect, but Britain had ignored this persistence to avoid the involvement in an uncalculated confrontation in Najd and Hijaz.

In 1918 there were changes occurring in the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf; Britain was at the height of its power and strength after emerging victorious from the European battles and being able to destroy the last vestiges of maharajas in India. Therefore, its appetite was hungry for more colonial annexation of a new group of States and territories to its influence and control. Thus, the British saw a ripe opportunity to intervene in the region when Muhammad Ali Pasha, the subordinate of Ottoman power in Egypt, seized Hijaz and Najd. The British wanted to intervene and cut the course of Mohammad Ali Pasha from getting around the Arabian Gulf region and thus controlling the strategic water crossings.

Later, Britain started preparing to take control of the tribes along the shores of the Marine Gulf in order to ensure the route of its commercial fleets in its outgoing and return to and from India.

At that time, the Governor of Bombay was exemplifying the British power and influence over the Indian subcontinent and its environs, thus, the Gulf region was situated within the areas of his influence and power moves, although it was not directly subject to hi. "Sir Ivan Nebian", the Governor of Bombay, was a supporter of a military intervention in the Gulf and extending the armed British control over all water crossings and along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The British government, although it was seeking to take control of this strategic area, however, it wanted to achieve the same purpose but in a completely different way.

There were many proposals and options on the discussion table between politicians and British commanders. There was the view that Britains role should be limited to the confiscation of coastal tribesmen influence in the waters of the Gulf, without any intervention in the systems of governance there. On the other side, there were other proposals calling for a comprehensive British intervention and a redrawing of the map of the Arabian Gulf and the small States located on it, which will achieve the British interests and desires and make the region and its inhabitants as followers of the British Crown.

In April 1918, the government decided in Calcutta to adopt a specific intervention approach in the Arabian Gulf region and within specific principles, including nonintervention in the systems of governance, respect for the influence of the chiefs and entities, and non-involvement in their differences and conflicts on power except in the case of their acceptance of the intervention, if so requested from one of the conflicting sides. In this case, the intervention would be in favor of the right side. Upon this rule, Britain has ignored the requests of the Governor of Muscat continued to dominate the Bahrain and attached to the area of influence. It also refused a proposal-in-one of the projects while ignoring what do Ottoman to extend their influence on the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf. and chose the island ", Child," the Iranian military to establish a permanent base there.

To achieve these goals, a major British campaign moved from Bombay, on the 3rd of November 1918, that consists of six huge warships and a large number of light warships. The army composed of three thousand soldiers led by General William Grant, and Ras al-Khaimah was the first goal of this campaign. The army arrived its outskirts on early December, and was faced with fierce resistance from the tribes denominators, who showed great courage in their defense of their land and water. Despite the great disparity in the preparations and materials between the two parties, Britain could not land at Ras Al Khaimah until after six days of continuous battles in which the British forces used artillery. It hit Ras al-Khaimah causing heavy losses.

This forced Al Qawasim to retreat; it seems that this battle and the resulting lose and Britains cruelty has influenced the morale of other tribes, which had not shown any significant resistance in the face of the British march.

Thus, the campaign has put its soldiers on the beaches and established garrisons in the main and strategic strongholds.

Ras al-Khaimah was the most important of these, from which Britain has started a campaign to compel the heads of the coastal tribes to enter into treaties with them. These treaties would be like a handing over of the British government in the east to manage the affairs of south-east of the Arab countries; these treaties were known as "treaties of in 1820."

Bahrain was not among the entities covered by the military campaign, but it was a signatory of the treaty in 1820. Because they were exposed to the ambitions of many entities and neighboring states, the rulers of Bahrain from Al Khalifa were forced to pay royalties to appease the governors of those states and entities. Bahrain, over the many years of its history, then, was coveted by many entities Gulf governors for its wealth, location and characteristics. The rulers of Qatar, from the relatives Al-Khalifa, looked with deep jealousy at their cousins of the rulers of Bahrain. These have shown clearly their ambitions to seize and plunder its bounty.

History recalls stories of the persistent attempts by the Qatari sailor "Rahma bin Jaber Al Jlahmh" to seize Bahrain. This sailor has also tempted the sailor "Soda" in 1810 to seize Bahrain, however, the warriors of Al-Khalifa quickly returned it. This again led the Qatari sailor to tempt Masqat Sultan to occupy it in 1816; who also failed to seize it, hence Rahma continued launching his retaliatory raids on the Bahraini ships until killed in 1827.

In addition to these threats, the ambitions of the sheikhdoms of the coast of Oman to Bahrain did not stop, and the Persian State considered it with greed. Thus, Al Khalifa, found the new British systems to ensure naval traffic an outlet for them; they were devoted to the use of these systems by setting a commercial treaty with Britain in which the latter would allow the Bahraini ships to raise the British flag. This Convention at that time had a tacit recognition of Bahrain as a separate entity.

During the period from 1820 till 1860, the rulers of Bahrain from Al-Khalifa have invested the safe conditions in the region and sought the expansion of trade in Bahrain to secure more resources for it and devote its independence, and they started to establish commercial "quasi-diplomatic" relations with a number of neighboring countries, including Iraq and the Persian State. Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa has succeeded in establishing representative relations with Baghdad and Tehran that entail sending two agents of these countries in Bahrain. The Persian State Faris has hired an agent in Bahrain, called "Mirza Mehdi Khan", who was known for his hostility to Britain, which led to Britains objection of this step and the directions of Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa and his political and business aspirations and his establishment of a strong naval force.

The Siege of Bahrain.

However, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa did not pay attention to the British vague objections. The British did the work to escalate the issue directly, thus Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa continued in his renaissance efforts and Britain continued its anticipation of these ambitions with extreme caution and real fear until 1861, when "Mr. Jones" went out from Calcutta at the top of a naval military campaign composed of four warships to attack Bahrain. A after the siege of the port of Manama and difficult and long negotiations with Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, the parties reached the signing of the Treaty of Friendship on the 30th of May that included Britains official recognition of Bahrain as an independent emirate ... That treaty stated:

"Due to the disturbances caused by the marine tribes, I, Mohammed bin Khalifa, announce my participation in the Treaty of Amity and lasting peace designed to advance trade and the safety of all peoples using the sea for navigation." The treaty included a series of conditions and principles like: "confirming all the previous treaties between Bahrain and Britain, Bahrains Sheikh pledging to refrain from any aggression of war or participating in "piracy" works, as long as Britain is giving it all the necessary help to maintain his property from the attacks of the tribes that inhabit the Gulf. In order to implement this pledge, Bahrains Sheikh accepts to inform the British public resident of any incident as it occurs, accepts him as a judge between him and the aggressors and undertakes not to take any action against the British government without approval, only in the event that Britain sees the need for.

The British Resident pledges to take the necessary measures against the aggressors on Bahrains Skaikh or his parishioners if he was an aggressor. The British nationals can also stay in Bahrain and trade without restriction of their liberty on the condition that they pay customs duties on goods, no more than %5 of the value of such goods. They will continue to enjoy the nations first privileges of nationals and the differences between the British nationals and between the people of Bahrain will be referred to the British Resident in "Bushehr" if the local agent in Bahrain is unable to settle these differences. The British resident can practice his mediation on disputes between the nationals of the Principality and the residents of the Gulf ports that are subordinate to Britains allied tribes. "

This agreement came similar to the truce agreements previously concluded between Britain and sheikhdoms coast, however, this Convention is distinguished from its predecessors with the explicit British recognition of Bahrain as an independent state, and the establishment of consular and judicial privileges, in addition to tax and customs privileges. However similar this agreement to the agreement concluded with Masqats governor in terms of the privileges, it did not go to the degree of approval of a formal protection from Britain to Bahrain.

In general, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa has tried to maximize his benefit of this convention and recruit it for the benefit of Bahrain. However, the relationship between Sheikh Mohammad Bin Khalifa and Britain remained below the level of the British desire for the complete submission of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa. In 1867, 6 years after the agreement, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa raid on the peninsula of Qatar, which he considered was belonging to his influence and was trying to attach it to Bahrain.

The British, over the six years following the signing of the Treaty of 1861, were disturbed by the conduct and practices of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, who was known for his strength and solid position in front of the British pressures and temptations. Therefore, it rushed immediately to invest and exploit what it considered a flagrant violation of the provisions of the Treaty of 1861, issuing a warning from the British resident to Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, asking him to stop attacks on Qatar and return to his country. However, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa did not submit to the British warning, and considered his campaign against Qatar an internal issue that was not subject to the terms of the above treaty.

Here Britain went to use its military strength and sent military forces equipped with modern weapons and in large numbers and besieged Bahrain in August 1868. The leader of this military campaign was "Mr. Bailey", who was clearly very strict and in his negotiations with Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa; he insisted on removing him from power and leaving Bahrain, and handing over the reins of the government to his brother Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa.

Sheikh Ali assumed the reins of government in Bahrain; however, the British embargo was not lifted until the new governor had pledged to respect the convention of 1861, in addition to accepting the disciplinary conditions imposed by the General Resident. The document signed by the two sides stated that: "Since Mohammed bin Khalifa had committed an act of piracy, his legitimate representation as a governor of the country has been eliminated ...!" The convention was then exposed to a number of extremely harsh conditions, including the delivery of all Bahraini navy ships to Britain, the payment of a large sum of money as a fine to the British Resident, in addition to the reference of exiling Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa from Bahrain, and requiring the new ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa, to hand in Sheikh Mohammad to the British Resident in the case of his entry into the Bahraini land. In case Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa violates the text of the document, he will be deemed to have committed an act of piracy. The document also imposed on Sheikh Ali the appointment of a permanent representative in "Boshaher" to be the representative of the Governor at the General resident.

This harsh document did not achieve success and stability; Sheikh Ali Bin Khalifa tried to seize opportunities to break out of it. Britain felt that the tendency of Sheikh Ali to break out from its control was equivalent to the gravity of the practices of his brother Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa. Britain therefore returned to the military intervention and imposed on Sheikh Ali the abdication of authority and the handover of power to his son Sheikh Isa bin Ali, who became the ruler of Bahrain in 1869. This incident was a prelude to further British interventions and the beginning of imposing some conditions on Bahrain culminating in 1892, where all of these disproportionate conditions and conventions included:

Bahrain does not have the right to contact any other State or the establishment of diplomatic relations or any international relationship with them without the consent of Britain.

Bahrain may not hold negotiations, treaties or any international conventions with any other country except Britain without the consent of the British government.

Bahrain may not waiver of any part of the territory of the State, its rights or its territorial waters for the benefit of any other State without with the consent of the British government.

Limiting the concessions granted for the extraction of oil and other minerals and any other privileges with the prior approval of the British. In return for these conditions and commitments, Britain has expressed its commitment to the protection of Bahrain from external attacks, the preservation of the independence of the country territories, and the preservation of the political and economic interests of Bahrain in addition to protecting the interests of the Bahraini citizens abroad, and matters relating to the conduct of foreign affairs.