The Middle East

**Transjordan:** A British colony governed from Jerusalem, Palestine is the keystone of British control of the Middle East. Although the UK no longer holds the Suez Canal, it does maintain forces in Gaza and often contemplates occupying the Canal in an emergency situation, although this has never happened. Substantial American forces are also present in Transjordan, and it is a stopping point in air routes between the UK and India. Politically Transjordan is governed by a Governor-General resident in Jerusalem and divided into two entites - the Kingdom of Jordan, governed from Amman, and the Free State of Israel, governed from Tel Aviv. Each has its own militia which is supervised by the British and is supposed to be only lightly armed, although both sides are known to have sneakily collected more serious weapons. There is a lot of tension between the two halves, chiefly because most of the population of Transjordan are Arab nationalists who do not want Jews, especially Jews from Europe, settling in what they view as historically Arab territory. The King does not take quite such a hard line although he is believed to be hedging his bets - he also maintains a relationship with the Kings of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The Free State of Israel, although it has a substantive stay-behind Arabic population, is home to many Jews, mostly refugees from Eastern Europe and the USSR fleeing anti-semitism. Every year there are petty disputes between the two consituent states that often spill over into street violence and sometimes threaten to explode into actual violence, so the Governor-General and his two Governors are extremely busy.

**Syria:** A French colony, governed by a Governor-General based in Damascus. Lebanon is part of the same colony, although it has some internal autonomy. A little island of Bundist control sandwiched between British Transjordan and theoretically neutral Turkey and Iraq, it is seen as a precarious outpost with little strategic value, but it is very important to French pride. There have been major uprisings in the 1950s and 1960s that the French very brutally put down, with large parts of Damascus still showing the scars of artillery bombardment. Many refugees fled into Turkey and Iraq.

**Iraq:** A former British colony under a King who is the cousin of the King of Jordan, Iraq was given complete independence by the British in the 1950s. For a long time it remained pro-Anglo-American, but it has lately been drifting under strong influence from Turkey and Iran, and indirect influence from Germany. There is a strong republican movement that wants to replace the King, who is seen as a relict of the time Iraq was part of the British Empire, and also major regional conflicts with Kurds in the north and Shia in the south. Iraq is a major oil producer, and one of only two major oil producers in the world that is not firmly in the Anglo-American or Bund camps - if the King had better control of his country, he could play both ends against the middle, but instead he often finds himself oscilating wildly based on short term pressure.

**Kuwait:** A small island of British control between neutral Iraq and Saudi Arabia, Kuwait is host to a small British garrison and Royal Navy station that deters any of its neighbours who might cast covetous eyes on its oil fields.

**Iran:** The Kingdom of Iran is one of Germany´s best friends outside the Europa Bund. The Shah is very strongly pro-German in alignment and outlook, and allows German corporations and even military personnel free access to his country. Iran is home to Germany´s largest military base outside Europe - the Hamadan military base, in the shadow of the Zagros mountains, is usually home to more than 5,000 German soldiers training in mountain and desert warfare. The Shah sees himself as a regional power broker who aspires to hegemonic status over the Gulf, and is quite aggressive about challenging British influence in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a key ally, Iran has benefited from German developmental and military aid, and there are even rumours that he is seeking a nuclear bomb with German covert assistance.

**Afghanistan:** A tribal state ruled by an ancient dynasty whose control outside the capital, Kabul, is sketchy at best. Afghanistan sits uncomfortably between German-aligned Iran and Anglo-American controlled Pakistan. Like his counterpart in Iraq, the King tries to balance the two superpower blocs but has a difficult time doing so due to his insecurity. Afghanistan was "invaded" by the USSR in 1961, although the war was little more than a series of desultory border skirmishes. This resulted in some German military aid, but most of the weapons went into tribal hands. Recently the King´s cousin and former Prime Minister, Mohammad Khan, who is rumoured to be pro-German, returned to the country after a long time in Europe. There are rumours he is planning a coup.

**Saudi Arabia:** Another independent monarchy but richer and more secure than Iraq or Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia views itself as the natural regional hegemon chiefly due to its custody of the Islamic holy sites. Despite this the King has a reasonably good relationship with Iran. The Saudis have a policy of neutrality and, unlike the Iraqis and Afghans, are able to maintain it, selling their oil on to the highest bidder. Recently the Kingdom has been renegotiating more favourable terms with the American and German oil firms that ship its products and upgrading its porty capacity with the goal of becoming the world´s largest oil producer. The Saudi military is quite small and untested. Ideologically the Saudis are in favour of decolonisation and have good relations with Egypt, but they do not provide anything more than light financial support to anti-imperialist movements, presumably not wanting to annoy their superpower clients.

**Turkey** The most powerful country in the region, Turkey straddles the gap between Europe and the Middle East. Turkey enjoys cordial relations with the Europa Bund but has always resisted formally joining it. Nonetheless during the 1940s and early 1950s Turkey enjoyed generous financial aid from Germany, largely to ensure it did not align itself with the Anglo-American bloc. Turkey is still governed by the Kemalist People´s Party, but has experienced significant political turmoil in the late 1950s, when Germany aid began to be withdrawn and student protesters began to call for genuine multiparty elections. When the increasingly ageing Kemalist grandees were not able to respond, a group of mid-ranking military officers seized power in 1960 and set up a new government, while still proclaiming themselves Kemalists and keeping the fiction of party rule. Since then elections have been strictly monitored and a high degree of economic austerity practiced. Turkey is in practice still aligned with Germany, and is considered one of Germany´s key allies outside the Bund. It also cooperates closely with Iran, but it tries to keep correct relations with the Anglo-American bloc. Turkey is very concerned about the possibility of instability in Iraq and Syria and sometimes contemplates intervening militarily.

**Trucial States:** This group of small independent emirates enjoys a protective treaty with the UK which effectively extends to the USA as well. There are sometimes skirmishes and confrontations with Iran over small islands in the Gulf.

**Oman and Yemen:** Also British colonies, both with ongoing tribal insurgencies. It is rumoured that the tribal fighters receive support from Germany and Japan, but if so it is very low key.

**Egypt:** Often considered part of the Middle East, but detailed on the Africa page.