Absence of imperial control let Gulf Arab polities expand

Evidence

Most notable of these was the Utub alliance of modern-day Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Jowasim lineage. … It was therefore the lack of imperial dominance of pearl fisheries, markets and shipping lanes that allowed the Arab groups to ‘expand and consolidate’ their polities. — Robin Alexander Plant, Discuss the Relationship Between…, 9

Categorization

• XREF: Echoes geopolitical arguments about how imperial neglect or absence creates room for local state formation, useful for comparative empire reading.