From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates

By Franke Heard-Bey. New York, N.Y.: Longman, 1982. 522pp. $45.00

Reviewed by E.F. Henderson

The Arab states of the Gulf have been the scene over the past three decades of some astonishingly large and rapid development—and nowhere more so than in the United Arab Emirates. The U.A.E. did not even exist as a nation-state until as recently as 1971, and it was one of the last two Gulf countries in which oil was found in sufficient quantities to make this development possible.

The story of the U.A.E. is not easy to tell with clarity and adequate detail within the covers of a 500-page book. But Dr. Heard-Bey has accomplished the task with distinction. She looks back to the earliest stage of the history of the region, and traces the development of tribal groups, both nomadic and sedentary, from before the advent of Islam up to the present day. Throughout the 1400 years of the Islamic era the tribal government retained its character despite the invasions of outsiders, who brought quite different cultures but made little if any impact on the way of life of the inhabitants. For example, the only relics of 150 years of Portuguese rule are a few ruined forts.

Coping With Change

The Shaikhly form of government had many special characteristics. In its nature it was Islamic down to the last detail. Essential to it was the consensus of the governed. No leader could last long who did not have the will of the people behind him. Yet how could such a system, that had lasted without any fundamental change for so long, meet the traumatic changes which have to accompany so swift a material development?

Dr. Heard-Bey seeks to answer this question, and—having set the scene with skillfully selected vignettes of history and graphic descriptions of the ways people lived and worked—she tells us of the problems which faced the leaders of the former Trucial States and the ways in which they surmounted them.

The most difficult problem was to create the basic structure for a Federation. The doomwatchers, who viewed the scene from abroad, almost gloatingly predicted a fiasco on the lines of what happened to federation in Africa—arguing that a federation could never be established. But they reckoned without due regard for the determination and skill of Shaikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and the other leaders who were to form the U.A.E. Once the federation was formed, the critics then began saying that it would not last. But last it has, and it has grown steadily more deep-rooted.

This book moves along at a good pace with plenty of detail, and in a way that captures the flavor of the new nation. It provides a thorough account of the development of industry and agriculture, and the construction of new cities. The physical obstacles to growth, and the ways in which they were overcome, one by one, are described. Careful attention is given to the Muslim way of life, and to the development of new educational establishments, hospitals and communications facilities.

Perhaps the only subject not dealt with adequately is the effect that radio and television have had on traditional society. Before the development of the transistor, and before electricity became widely available, only people who owned cars, or had access to them, could listen to radios—which were powered by being hooked into car batteries. But when the small pocket transistor came on the market, it created a revolution in the field of information. A country which had had hardly any access to the news of the outside world suddenly had it. Later, the arrival of television, with channels providing information from both local stations and those from neighboring countries, enhanced this access to news. Newspapers also became more available. People living near the seaports—although not those in the interior—had for long been able to see newspapers shipped in from Egypt and Iraq. Now, however, publications are coming in by air from all over the world, and national ones are flourishing.

Stylistic Accomplishment

One of the most refreshing things about this book is that it is written in excellent English, and free from the jargon which so many writers seem to think they should use when discussing history, or social and economic affairs. The accomplishment is even greater in that English is not the author's mother tongue. Furthermore, the copious notes show the depth of research which has been carried out. The greatest care has been taken with the spelling of personal and tribal names and place names. The index is of the same high standard, making reference simple.

The author has lived a number of years in the U.A.E. and in the process has developed friendly ties with many of its citizens. She therefore writes as a friend and admirer of this country. This reviewer, too, has spent very many years in the U.A.E. and has done research work into its history and the tribal structure of the whole region. The way Dr. Heard-Bey has written about it is also the way she sees it.

E.F. Henderson is Chairman of the American Educational Trust and former British Ambassador to Qatar.