FinPol Digest

During Queen Elizabeth II's long reign, significant portions of the world rebelled against British dominance, yet after her passing, a few kingdoms that were imposed by the British are still in place in the Middle East. They have endured decades of conflict and unrest and are now regarded as bulwarks of authoritarian stability. Hereditary rulers were mostly unharmed when public upheavals broke out across the region a decade ago during what was known as the Arab Spring, toppling administrations with anti-colonial foundations. Although the era of gunships and imperial pomp may be passed, the region still has strong financial and emotional ties to England. King, sultan, and emir students attend Sandhurst's Royal Military Academy. The richness of the Gulf Arab sovereign states has altered London's skyline. King Abdullah II of Jordan has ties to Britain on both a personal and cultural level being the son of a British mother. During World War I, Jordan's ruling Hashemites, wh...