海湾局势变化与英国的撤离(1961-1968)

The Correlation between the Gulf Situation and the Britain’s Withdrawal from 1961 to 1968

英国曾长期在海湾地区处于主导地位,其海湾政策的转变与其在海湾地区的主要利益密切相关。二战后,英国在海湾地区的主要利益转变为以石油为中心的经济利益。保护经济利益成为英国在海湾地区政治、军事存在的首要目标。60年代初期海湾地区的不稳定状态要求英国增强其政治、军事存在,但1963年后的海湾局势变化在很大程度上消除了海湾地区的不稳定因素,英国的海湾利益不再依赖其政治、军事力量提供保护。英军继续留在海湾不仅不能增进本国在该地区的经济利益,反而成为其政府的政治和财政负担。此外,国防支出紧缩、从亚丁撤军、阿拉伯民族主义等因素也不利于英国政治、军事力量继续留在海湾。经过多次成本—收益分析,英国政府最终决定撤出海湾。此举对海湾地区现代国家体系的建立和现代国际格局的形成具有重要影响。

Britain once had dominated the Gulf region for a long time.The shift of Britain’s Gulf policy was closely related to its main interests in the Gulf.After World War II,Britain’s main interests in the Gulf shifted to oil-centered economic interests.Protecting economic interests became the primary goal of Britain’s political and military presence in the Gulf.The unstable state of the Gulf region in the early 1960s required Britain to strengthen its political and military presence,but changes in the Gulf situation after 1963 largely eliminated the unstable factors in the Gulf region.Economic interests no longer depended on political and military presence for shelter.British army’s continued presence in the Gulf not only failed to enhance British’s gulf interests,but also became a political and financial burden for the British government.In addition,factors such as austerity in defense expenditure,the withdrawal of troops from Aden,and Arab nationalism were also not conducive to British’s continuing presence in the Gulf.After multiple cost-benefit analysis,British government finally decided to withdraw from the Gulf.This move has a significant impact on the establishment of a modern states system and the formation of a modern international structure in the Gulf region.