Colonial Roots of the Persian Gulf Sheikhdoms Action in Front of the Imposed War

Evaluating the role of some Western-affiliated factors in the imposed war, especially the colonial identities of the Persian Gulf, in the formation and continuation of this war, reflects the inadequacies caused by the British colonial heritage in the periphery of Iran. The slogan of independence from the East and the West and the sheiks reaction to the Persian Gulf region showed their reliance on supra-regional powers. The formation background of these colonial identities back to the weakness of the central authorities of the Islamic world in the 19 AD/13 AH century. Therefore, the survival continuity of these sheikhdoms formed based on the weak conditions of the Islamic world depends on the continuation of the same conditions. It is the behaviorology principle of some of Iran s neighbors in response to the independence and freedom slogans of the Islamic Revolution. Hence, the behavior and performance of the Persian Gulf sheikhdoms during the imposed war indicated their connection with Western colonialism. By examining historical documents, library studies, and analytical methods, the present study aimed to answer the fundamental question of ‘what role did the colonial identity of the Persian Gulf sheikhdoms play in their behavior and action in the front of the imposed war?’ The requirements arising from the colonial conditions in the contract of 1820 AD / 1235 AH, the continued formation of affiliated sheikhdoms, including Kuwait, in Iraq s relationship with the Persian Gulf, the sheikhdoms economic and political dependence on Western nations played a decisive role in their policy toward the imposed war. These colonial conditions caused these sheikhdoms, with the direct and indirect support of Saddam Hussein, to practically expand the scope of conflict and insecurity in the Persian Gulf region.