BEFORE OIL27to capture and distribute rents is one part of the story. Credit for other
stabilizing factors goes to the imperial powers, particularly the Brit-
ish. As mentioned, foreign powers persuaded the tribes to organize
themselves into defined territories under the leadership of a single fam-
ily. This produced six independent and largely stable states led by long-
serving and capable family rulers. These sheikhs eventually led their
nation- states to independence. The robust monarchies of the Gulf stand
in stark contrast to the shaky governance institutions the colonial
powers left behind in Africa and other parts of the Middle East, many of
which have disintegrated into strife. Since independence, tribal rule in
the Gulf has survived numerous destabilizing trends, including modern-
ization, globalization, political Islam, pan- Arabism, and even violent
extremism.
The notion that oil helped incubate durable ruling institutions and
development is controversial. Many scholars believe that discovering oil
triggers a “resource curse” that undermines development.^27 Later work
has clarified the effects of this so- called resource curse. It is probably
more accurate to say that rather than undermining development, oil
cements existing ruling institutions in place.^28 If a country happened to
be democratic when oil is discovered— Norway is a good example— it
tended to remain that way. If a country happened to be a tribal autocracy,
like the Gulf monarchies, pre- oil institutions are likely to persist. Oil had
another notable effect. Its presence made Western powers, particularly
America, eager to befriend and protect the Gulf ’s ruling families. Defend-
ing these regimes was necessary because of the weakness of their own
militaries and the global importance of the region’s petroleum supply.
In short, oil turbocharged the Gulf ’s homegrown political structures
to such an extent that all the world soon learned of them. In the 1970s,
after a 1,300- year hiatus, history’s spotlight swung back over the Arabian
Peninsula. A new Gulf personality type would soon sweep onto the
global scene: the jet- setting oil sheikh.