Sinews of War and Trade: Shipping and Capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula
Laleh Khalili is a Professor of INternational Politics at Queen Mary University of London and recently (2020) wrote this book. Familiar with her book Time in the Shadows: Confinement in Counterinsurgencies.
Blurb
This book provides a helpful introduction to the reshapping of global sea trade after decolonisation. I found this book interesting mainly due to my own ignorace of the global maritime industry and how this relates to the importance of the Gulf.
Notes
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Hugo Grotius was the father of the term international waters and notion of “freedom of the sease”
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UAE has 42 free trade zones . Saudi Arabia has none, pg 111.
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Saudi construction of the city of Neom. Unaware of this city. pg 119
- It is supposed to be a new megacity (sci-fi city for high-tech industry, consumer products and tourism) build in the northernmost part of Saudi’s Red Sea coast bordering Egypt and Jordan. Egypt has ceded the islands of Itran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia for the project. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neom
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Found minor error in the Notes section of the book. Pg 316 Note #10.
- Wilmington citation is not listed in the bibliography.
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Stevedoring - unloading ships at port
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Kafala System - much older system than I realized. Has its roots in the pearling industry. pg 198.
Thoughts
As far as my review section, I found it acessible to the general reader as opposed to the more specialized academic tomes where good information is buried. I think this book is nice introduction to the topic and provides a useful historicized view of global trade from Suez onwards. Most interesting chapters were Chapter 1 - Route Making and Chapter 4 - Roads and Rails Leading Away.
Should you read it?
Hmm, I would say only if interested in global shipping trade.
This was an aspect I was ignorant of and the fact much of global trade runs through the Gulf was an eye opener to me. The reason I was intrigued by it is due to the importance over the next few decades in China’s Belt and Road Initiative and how maritime trade might factor in. Also if you want a more contexualized understanding of the Gulf outside of the importance of oil I think it is worth a glance.
Khalili, Laleh. 2021. Sinews of war and trade: shipping and capitalism in the Arabian Peninsula.