After leaving, Britain forged strategic partnerships with Gulf states involving defense, security, investment and energy interests — and the royal family played a role in securing that relationship.
“The royal family has provided a means for Britain to forge and maintain decades of ties with the ruling elites in the region, especially in the Gulf, in ways that would be difficult for elected political leaders to duplicate,” said Kristian Ulrichsen, contributor to The Middle. East at Rice University’s Baker Institute told CNN. “Although this does not always translate into measurable results for British interests in the region.”
The Queen had made two series of state visits to the Gulf region in 1979 and 2010 and images of her laughing alongside the ruling elite depicted a strong kinship.
The number of reciprocal visits between Gulf Arab and British monarchs is comparable to royal family visits to Commonwealth realms, Onley said. “This is quite strange when you consider that the [Gulf] not part of the Commonwealth, but in many ways, a de facto member… Britain is more than a strategic ally [in the Gulf]they are family in many ways,” he said.
Memories of British rule are not so fond further north in the Arab world. Many in the Middle East attribute today’s political grievances to the colonial era. The death of Queen Elizabeth II may have prompted an outpouring of grief from countries controlled by Britain, but the legacy of what she represented was also seen as a symbol of oppression.
The queen began her reign when Britain was trying to reframe its relationship with countries it previously controlled, Abdel Razak Takriti, a history professor at Brown University, told CNN.
“In that period, the region was involved in a huge range of anti-colonial rebellions … and attempts to overthrow British rule,” he said.
These efforts succeeded, and under Queen Elizabeth’s reign, Britain’s influence in the Middle East underwent a dramatic change, with the colonial structures now largely gone.
“The Queen’s reign can be characterized as overseeing the management of Britain’s decline as an imperial and world power, a period beset by the fallout from the Suez Crisis in 1956, just four years into her reign, and the struggle to rebuild Britain’s place in the region in the years that followed,” Ulrichsen said.
Takriti said it is difficult for people in the Middle East to distance themselves from Britain’s history when its impact continues to linger.
“The most important British legacy in the region, which of course was never resolved under Queen Elizabeth’s reign, was the question of Palestine. And many people in the region never forgave Britain for that,” he said.
Digestion
Turkish drone maker to build factory in Ukraine, Zelensky says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met on Friday with the head of Turkish defense company Baykar and said the company would set up a factory in Ukraine to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles, Reuters reported.
Background: Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 drone was extremely popular in Ukraine, where it helped destroy several Russian artillery systems and armored vehicles. A video posted online shows Zelensky presenting Bayraktar with the Ukrainian Order of Merit. In return, Zelenskiy received a traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirt with a drone.
Why it matters: Russia has previously complained to Turkey about its sale of drones to Ukraine. Turkey has not joined its NATO allies in sanctioning Russia over the war in Ukraine and has facilitated talks between the warring parties.
The Greek prime minister wants to keep the channels open with Turkey despite the “unacceptable” comments Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday that Athens would try to keep communication channels open with Ankara despite recent “unacceptable” comments by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Reuters reported. He said he was always willing to meet Erdogan.
Background: Erdogan accused Greece of holding demilitarized islands in the Aegean Sea, saying Turkey was ready to “do whatever it takes” when the time comes. The European Union last week expressed concern over Erdogan’s remarks, while Greece sent letters to NATO and the United Nations protesting what he described as “inflammatory” comments. Why it matters: The two countries — NATO allies but historic enemies — have been at odds for decades over a range of issues, including where their continental shelf begins and ends, overflights in the Aegean Sea, the status of demilitarized islands and the divided Cyprus.
Iran urges Saudi Arabia to show goodwill in talks to revive ties Iran has no preconditions in its talks with Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday, calling on Riyadh to take a “constructive approach” to improving relations, Reuters reported. “Iran will respond proportionately to any constructive action by Saudi Arabia,” Kanaani told a televised news conference.
Background: Last month, Tehran said a delayed sixth round of talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran in Baghdad would take place when conditions are right in Iraq. In May, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said there had been some progress in Iraqi-brokered talks with Iran, but “not enough.” Why it matters: Tehran and Riyadh, the leading Shiite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, severed ties in 2016 with the two sides supporting opposing sides in proxy wars across the region, from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere. The talks come as former Middle Eastern foes move to mend fences. Last month, the United Arab Emirates returned its ambassador to Tehran.
What is the trend?
Saudi Arabia: Nazar Bahbari insults Saudi women
A prominent Saudi doctor’s research into women’s pornography viewing habits has sparked controversy in the Gulf state, with many attacking the practitioner for “insulting Saudi women”.
Nazar Bahbari is the director of the Saudi Society of Infectious Diseases in Jeddah, who had gained a large following on social media during the Covid-19 pandemic as many tuned in to hear his advice. He has over 230,000 followers.
But his popularity waned when, in an interview on Saturday with a Saudi television channel, Bahbari said a 2019 survey he conducted showed that 92 percent of Saudi women had watched pornography, up from 23 percent in a 2014 survey in social media. The survey included 3,000 women, he told the TV channel.
Soon, Twitter accounts run by critics of Saudi Arabia and its rulers began citing the video as evidence of the alleged negative impact of the social freedoms being introduced in the kingdom. Pornography is banned in Saudi Arabia.
Others attacked the doctor, with the Arabic hashtag “Nazar Bahbari insults Saudi women” trending on Twitter.
“Sitting there giving the world the impression that Saudi women are easy,” wrote one Twitter user, questioning his dignity. “Evil, poisonous and malicious words,” wrote another user on Twitter.
Bahbari revealed his results amid growing concerns about pornography addiction, which he said hinders sexual relationships in marriage. He defended his research on social media, noting that the survey included only 3,000 women, whose porn viewing habits are not representative of the entire community.
“To create appropriate awareness content, I am doing research to know the extent of the problem,” he said in a video posted on Twitter on Monday.
Nazar declined CNN’s request for comment.
By Nadeen Ebrahim
