Background

Abstract

This chapter sets the stage for the study by calling attention to some of the key issues and turning points that are intrinsic parts of Arabia’s social and political history. The first is tribalism, which is integral to understanding these societies. The second is the atypical military force, the Ikhwan, that the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, King Ibn Saud (known in Arabia as Abdulaziz Al Saud), developed to conquer much of the territory that became the region’s largest country. The third is the British role in influencing the Gulf states’ security sector. The fourth is the creation of the United Arab Emirates and its military force. Finally, I probe two formative moments in recent history: the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the country’s liberation by a US-led coalition, and the military-security dimension of the Arab uprisings that began in late 2010 and have influenced subsequent related developments.