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Description
The central lands of the Arabian Peninsula are controlled by two nations. Along the western fourth of the region the Kingdom of Hejaz (المملكة الهاشمية) and the Kingdom of Nejd (مملكة نجد). The divide between these two nations is one of the primary geopolitical factors in the region, and animates a lot of factors going into diplomatic ties within the broader Arab world along with Arabia itself.

Unlike many divisions in the region the divide between Nejd and Hejaz is not solely the fault of the British Empire. The ruling families of the two states, the Hashemites of Hejaz and the Saudis of Nejd, had exerted power in their respective regions for centuries prior to the dissolution of World War II, with the Saudis being emirs and warlords ruling from the city of Riyadh from the late 1600s onwards while the Hashemites had been the Sharifs of Mecca and Medina since the 10th Century. This is not to say that there was no influence on the modern development of these states from the British, far from it. Both of these states have their rooting in the British government funding uprisings from the Arab people of the Ottoman Empire, nominally with the promise that King Hussein bin Ali would become the ruler of a new Kingdom of Arabia, also with the suggestion that he could utilize his position as Sharif to become the new Caliph with the collapse of the Ottomans.

Naturally the British had lied, instead intending to divide the former Ottoman Empire amongst themselves and France to form more colonial domains. As the war came to a close and the Sykes-Picot Agreement began to take effect a new concern arose for the British: not only was King Ali furious that he had been betrayed (indeed, even T.E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia", was incensed and regularly attempted to petition the British to redress this issue) but the Saudis in the east had been growing their strength by purchasing foreign weapons and consolidating Nejd under their rule. A flimsy compromise was created where the sons of King Hussain would become the kings of the British "protectorates" of Iraq, Syria, and Transjordan, while Hussain himself would continue his reign in Hejaz. Though the British were at least slightly willing to give some protections and freedoms to the Hashemite protectorates they now held, the rise of the Wahabbist Saudis was an increasing concern for them, especially that they could go on to seize control of the entire peninsula.

This finally came to a head in 1921 when the Saudis managed to subdue and conquer Ha'il to their north, and then set their sights on Hejaz. After a desperate appeal to the British, Hejaz became a British protectorate and received defensive assistance in the First Saudi-Hejazi War, though Ali begrudgingly having accepted British overlordship resulted in the idea of a new Hashemite Caliphate dying out. By 1924 the modern borders of the two states were set in place, with Nejd having seized the 'Asir region from Hejaz in the process. In the course of the following decades the two states began to develop along separate lines both culturally and economically. Hejaz was connected to the broader British Empire and was able to develop favorable trade relations from there, while Nejd remained economically backwards until the discovery of colossal oil fields along the Persian Gulf region, which turned into an explosion of wealth and revenue for the Saudis through the Nejdi Arab Petroleoum Company (modern-day Aroco).

The Hashemite Royal Family underwent a period of massive instability across the British protectorates, eventually culminating in the childless (and reportedly homosexual) King Abdal I dying in 1972, after which point the deposed King Faisal II of Iraq (who had been deposed in 1958 after independence) was called back to become King of Hejaz, after which a more stable procession of father to son began culminating in the incumbent Hussein III. Of the four Hashemite-ruled nations (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Hejaz) both Syria and Iraq have deposed their monarchies. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is still ruled by the children of Abdulaziz, the man who founded the modern-day Kingdom of Nejd. The more progressive Hashemites have allowed for generally more cultural openness in Hejaz compared to Saudi Arabia, while the Wahabbi Saudis continue to rule an ultraconservative Islamist state sometimes described as "the world's largest open-air prison". Indeed during the Arab Renaissance, when many Arab nations were forced to begin liberalizing and opening up, the Saudi state instead cracked down harshly and continued its reactionary policies.

Despite this Nejd is one of the world's richest nations because of its colossal oil wealth. It should be noted that this wealth is concentrated almost entirely in the hands of the House of Saud, who own Aroco outright, and a large number of Nejdi civilians live below the international poverty line. Hejaz isn't that different economically considering that the Hashemites are still one of the richest families in the world but Hejaz generally ranks higher on indices of civil and political rights along with having a more open and democratic government. Despite their earlier conflict, the two nations having settled their relations are now generally civil towards each other and maintain permanent embassies and economic ties with each other. The two have also cooperated on major projects such as the Nejdi-Hejazi Pipeline which runs from Nejd's oil fields to the coast of Hejaz at Yanbu, out of fears that Iran would close the Persian Gulf from its perpetual clashes with Iraq, Nejd, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

In fact that one pipeline has been the biggest thing to help normalize relations between the Saudis and the Hashemites. Now that roughly 60% of all of Nejd's oil is exported through Hejaz, and both nations are members of the Arab League, there is little threat of war between the two states of the central Arabian peninsula. Despite their vast differences in culture, Islamic practice, politics, and general goals in the broader Arab world, the ability of the two states to cooperate has brought a great deal of stability to the Arab world. While they may have both been born out of conflict and the betrayal of the great imperial powers, in the post-colonial world both states are now even able to challenge Egypt, which has historically been the largest power in the Arab League, but such a day remains just out of grasp for now.

Description
The central lands of the Arabian Peninsula are controlled by two nations. Along the western fourth of the region the Kingdom of Hejaz (المملكة الهاشمية) and the Kingdom of Nejd (مملكة نجد). The divide between these two nations is one of the primary geopolitical factors in the region, and animates a lot of factors going into diplomatic ties within the broader Arab world along with Arabia itself.

Unlike many divisions in the region the divide between Nejd and Hejaz is not solely the fault of the British Empire. The ruling families of the two states, the Hashemites of Hejaz and the Saudis of Nejd, had exerted power in their respective regions for centuries prior to the dissolution of World War II, with the Saudis being emirs and warlords ruling from the city of Riyadh from the late 1600s onwards while the Hashemites had been the Sharifs of Mecca and Medina since the 10th Century. This is not to say that there was no influence on the modern development of these states from the British, far from it. Both of these states have their rooting in the British government funding uprisings from the Arab people of the Ottoman Empire, nominally with the promise that King Hussein bin Ali would become the ruler of a new Kingdom of Arabia, also with the suggestion that he could utilize his position as Sharif to become the new Caliph with the collapse of the Ottomans.

Naturally the British had lied, instead intending to divide the former Ottoman Empire amongst themselves and France to form more colonial domains. As the war came to a close and the Sykes-Picot Agreement began to take effect a new concern arose for the British: not only was King Ali furious that he had been betrayed (indeed, even T.E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia", was incensed and regularly attempted to petition the British to redress this issue) but the Saudis in the east had been growing their strength by purchasing foreign weapons and consolidating Nejd under their rule. A flimsy compromise was created where the sons of King Hussain would become the kings of the British "protectorates" of Iraq, Syria, and Transjordan, while Hussain himself would continue his reign in Hejaz. Though the British were at least slightly willing to give some protections and freedoms to the Hashemite protectorates they now held, the rise of the Wahabbist Saudis was an increasing concern for them, especially that they could go on to seize control of the entire peninsula.

This finally came to a head in 1921 when the Saudis managed to subdue and conquer Ha'il to their north, and then set their sights on Hejaz. After a desperate appeal to the British, Hejaz became a British protectorate and received defensive assistance in the First Saudi-Hejazi War, though Ali begrudgingly having accepted British overlordship resulted in the idea of a new Hashemite Caliphate dying out. By 1924 the modern borders of the two states were set in place, with Nejd having seized the 'Asir region from Hejaz in the process. In the course of the following decades the two states began to develop along separate lines both culturally and economically. Hejaz was connected to the broader British Empire and was able to develop favorable trade relations from there, while Nejd remained economically backwards until the discovery of colossal oil fields along the Persian Gulf region, which turned into an explosion of wealth and revenue for the Saudis through the Nejdi Arab Petroleoum Company (modern-day Aroco).

The Hashemite Royal Family underwent a period of massive instability across the British protectorates, eventually culminating in the childless (and reportedly homosexual) King Abdal I dying in 1972, after which point the deposed King Faisal II of Iraq (who had been deposed in 1958 after independence) was called back to become King of Hejaz, after which a more stable procession of father to son began culminating in the incumbent Hussein III. Of the four Hashemite-ruled nations (Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Hejaz) both Syria and Iraq have deposed their monarchies. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, is still ruled by the children of Abdulaziz, the man who founded the modern-day Kingdom of Nejd. The more progressive Hashemites have allowed for generally more cultural openness in Hejaz compared to Saudi Arabia, while the Wahabbi Saudis continue to rule an ultraconservative Islamist state sometimes described as "the world's largest open-air prison". Indeed during the Arab Renaissance, when many Arab nations were forced to begin liberalizing and opening up, the Saudi state instead cracked down harshly and continued its reactionary policies.

Despite this Nejd is one of the world's richest nations because of its colossal oil wealth. It should be noted that this wealth is concentrated almost entirely in the hands of the House of Saud, who own Aroco outright, and a large number of Nejdi civilians live below the international poverty line. Hejaz isn't that different economically considering that the Hashemites are still one of the richest families in the world but Hejaz generally ranks higher on indices of civil and political rights along with having a more open and democratic government. Despite their earlier conflict, the two nations having settled their relations are now generally civil towards each other and maintain permanent embassies and economic ties with each other. The two have also cooperated on major projects such as the Nejdi-Hejazi Pipeline which runs from Nejd's oil fields to the coast of Hejaz at Yanbu, out of fears that Iran would close the Persian Gulf from its perpetual clashes with Iraq, Nejd, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman.

In fact that one pipeline has been the biggest thing to help normalize relations between the Saudis and the Hashemites. Now that roughly 60% of all of Nejd's oil is exported through Hejaz, and both nations are members of the Arab League, there is little threat of war between the two states of the central Arabian peninsula. Despite their vast differences in culture, Islamic practice, politics, and general goals in the broader Arab world, the ability of the two states to cooperate has brought a great deal of stability to the Arab world. While they may have both been born out of conflict and the betrayal of the great imperial powers, in the post-colonial world both states are now even able to challenge Egypt, which has historically been the largest power in the Arab League, but such a day remains just out of grasp for now.