Posted on 09/06/2025 9:58:06 PM PDT by Cronos
In his book Empire of the Raj (2004), historian Robert Blyth argues, “The Persian Gulf was the heart of the Indian sphere.” Indeed, the Indian subcontinent had been connected to the Gulf region through trade and migration for centuries, a reality that was built upon by the British when they established their empire in India.
Contrary to what modern maps of British India might make us believe, the territory of influence of the British Raj expanded far beyond the contours of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. As Sam Dalrymple points out in his book, The Shattered Lands (2025), “As recently as 1928, a vast swathe of Asia–India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait– were bound together under a single imperial banner, an entity known officially as the Indian empire, or more simply as the Raj.”
The British in India expanded their influence over the Gulf region for strategic, economic and geopolitical reasons. The expansion, though, was not done through direct colonisation, but rather by establishing indirect control through treaties, often referred to as the “system of protection”. They were legally a part of India, under the Interpretation Act of 1889.
in his book, Dalrymple notes that “they were run by the Indian Political Service, defended by the Indian Army, and subservient to the Viceroy of India.” Interestingly, the official list of princely states in India is known to have begun alphabetically with Abu Dhabi, while Lord Curzon is known to have argued that Oman was as much a native state of the Indian Empire as Lus Beyla or Kelat.
I'm currently reading this. Jolly good book
The British Empire colonized many foreign countries, and now finds itself being colonized by foreign invaders. Pretty ironic.
Indeed. Joseph Conrad’s “Heat of Darkness” opens with the narrator on a ship in the Thames describing how “when the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago” they would have sensed “the savagery, the utter savagery” around them. Now the invaders from the Third World are bringing their savage ways to a Britain too foolish and dissolute to defend their civilization against invasion.
Right on!!! 👍🏻👍🏻 Bravo!! 👏👏
True that. But don't forget that just a few decades before WW2, the Middle East was still controlled by the Ottoman Empire (up to WW1) and England. A lot of nations sprang up after that, but the left wants us to believe Israel was the only one. The Ottoman Empire still had white slaves as recently as 1908 (official ban date, though some say it was still practiced up to WW1). It's no small wonder that Europe lost little sleep over carving up the OE after WW1.
Sadly true.
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