ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that Britain's January 1968 announcement reintroduced the problem of protection that characterized political behaviour in the Gulf prior to the British arrival in the nineteenth century. It explores the British role in the events that led to the establishment of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The chapter focuses on the Trucial system during the period of British withdrawal from the Gulf and discusses three important territorial disputes, namely: Iran's claim of sovereignty on Bahrain; Iran's claim on Abu Musa and the Two Tunb islands; and Saudi Arabia's territorial claims on Abu Dhabi. On 1 December 1971, Britain ended its protectorate treaties with the seven rulers of the Trucial shaykhdoms which dated back to the early nineteenth century. The seven-shaykhdom UAE was the result of more than three years of failed negotiations to unify the nine pre-state shaykhdoms. Thus, the formation of the UAE may be viewed as a success born of failure.
