[carton253]

Oil, of course. It is the same reason the British lopped off Kuwait from Iraq and kept the United Arab Emirates out of the hands of the Saudis and the Iranians. Jordan was created to keep Abdullah from marching on Syria to reverse Feisal’s eviction and keep the French happy. The panhandle of Jordan was carved from Iraq to give Abdullah more land. Feisal was given the Iraqi throne to keep the Hashemites happy. The list goes on and on. Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the UAR, Qatar, Bahrain... it is the gift the keeps giving.

[RobbyS]

The same old imperial politics. The Brits did not realize how weakened they were by the war. Lloyd George and Churchill had no head for finance, and the flood waters were still receding but it took the Depression to reveal the new lay of the land, and all the mud that had piled up.