Okay, the Iraqis stay allied to the UK in WWII. No coup, the ruling sheik is stronger, whatever.
The Iraqis get two things they really want. They get the Iranian oil when the UK/US and the USSR partition Iran. And they get Lebanon instead of the Free French. That's their Med coastline with the pipeline access and their harbor.
Kuwait didn't get oil till after WWII. Saudi Arabia had oil developed earlier, though.
So after the war they are the US best boys in the Middle East, and they have the trained army from fighting the Germans or at least the Italians. What do you think about them rolling up the rest of the Gulf? Just the Shiite parts with the oil. The Saudis can keep the holy cities. The Iraqis were the senior branch of the family, Jordan was the junior branch. They probably put a son in charge of every little plot of land in the Gulf, and marry them off to the local bigwigs' daughters.
The Iraqis get two things they really want. They get the Iranian oil when the UK/US and the USSR partition Iran. And they get Lebanon instead of the Free French. That's their Med coastline with the pipeline access and their harbor.
Kuwait didn't get oil till after WWII. Saudi Arabia had oil developed earlier, though.
So after the war they are the US best boys in the Middle East, and they have the trained army from fighting the Germans or at least the Italians. What do you think about them rolling up the rest of the Gulf? Just the Shiite parts with the oil. The Saudis can keep the holy cities. The Iraqis were the senior branch of the family, Jordan was the junior branch. They probably put a son in charge of every little plot of land in the Gulf, and marry them off to the local bigwigs' daughters.
