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 key areas like trade and investment, arms sales and military cooperation, and energy, Wearing shines a light on the shocking lengths the British state has gone to in order to support these regimes. As the UK’s ties with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states continue to make the headlines, this book lifts the lid on ‘AngloArabia’ and what’s at stake for both sides.