Buraimi: the Struggle for the Persian Gulf

Abstract

Britain had, however grudgingly, let American pressure force it out of its prized possessions in the Middle East, Egypt and Iran. It is, therefore, ironic that Britain refused to buckle under American pressure over the Buraimi oasis. Britain’s chief concern was not Buraimi itself, but the fear that the loss of it might endanger the entire British position in the Middle East. In addition, with AIOC’s monopoly broken, not being able to hold on to Buraimi could well mean the end of British energy independence in the future. Britain controlled a string of small principalities on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula, from Kuwait in the north to Aden in the southwest – Kuwait alone could produce enough oil to supply Western Europe for years to come. Given Buraimi’s strategic location, whoever controlled the oasis could easily project their influence into Abu Dhabi and Muscat and Oman, thereby endangering the entire British position along the Persian Gulf. For Britain, then, Buraimi was the keystone in its Middle Eastern arch.