Lords of the Desert: The Battle Between the United States and Great Britain for Supremacy in the Modern Middle East
- ISBN-10
- 1541617401
- ISBN-13
- 9781541617407
- Series
- Lords of the Desert
- Category
- History
- Pages
- 464
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2018-09-11
- Publisher
- Basic Books
- Author
- James Barr
Description
A path-breaking history of how the United States superseded Great Britain as the preeminent power in the Middle East, with urgent lessons for the present day We usually assume that Arab nationalism brought about the end of the British Empire in the Middle East--that Gamal Abdel Nasser and other Arab leaders led popular uprisings against colonial rule that forced the overstretched British from the region. In Lords of the Desert, historian James Barr draws on newly declassified archives to argue instead that the US was the driving force behind the British exit. Though the two nations were allies, they found themselves at odds over just about every question, from who owned Saudi Arabia's oil to who should control the Suez Canal. Encouraging and exploiting widespread opposition to the British, the US intrigued its way to power--ultimately becoming as resented as the British had been. As Barr shows, it is impossible to understand the region today without first grappling with this little-known prehistory.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2018-09-11
- - pages
- Paperback
- Basic Books
-
- 2018-08-09
- 400 pages
- Paperback
- Simon and Schuster
Similar books
-
Lords of the Desert: Britain's Struggle with America to Dominate the Middle East
By James BarrReminding us that the Middle East has always served as the arena for great power conflict, this is the tale of an internecine struggle in which Britain would discover that her most formidable rival was the ally she had assumed would be her ...
-
Lords of the Desert: Britain's Struggle with America to Dominate the Middle East
By James BarrIn Lords of the Desert, historian James Barr draws on newly declassified archives to argue instead that the US was the driving force behind the British exit.
-
Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain's Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918
By James BarrGreed and intrigue combine explosively in this gripping tale of how the mercurial Lawrence of Arabia changed the Middle East forever.
-
Death in the Sahara: The Lords of the Desert and the Timbuktu Railway Expedition Massacre
By Michael AsherFinally forced to eat each other, only a dozen men lived to tell their tale. The story of their one-thousand-mile journey is one of the most astonishing narratives of survival ever recorded.
-
A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle for the Mastery of the Middle East
By James BarrThrough a stellar cast of politicians, diplomats, spies and soldiers, including T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, A Line in the Sand vividly tells the story of the short but crucial era when Britain and France ruled ...
-
Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
By Georgina HowellGertrude Bell, vividly told and impeccably researched by Georgina Howell, is a richly compelling portrait of a woman who transcended the restrictions of her class and times, and in so doing, created a remarkable and enduring legacy. " ... ...
-
Desert Eden (Book 3 Devereux Series)
By Patricia GrassoDesert Eden (Book 3 Devereux Series)
-
The Last Cheater's Waltz: Beauty and Violence in the Desert Southwest
By Ellen MeloyThe Last Cheater's Waltz: Beauty and Violence in the Desert Southwest is multilayered and far-reaching, yet always infused with Meloy's prodigious research, finely tuned prose, and wry humor.
-
Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground New Edition
By Michael Moynihan, Didrik SoderlindThe most incredible story in the history of music … a heavyweight book.”—Kerrang! “An unusual combination of true crime journalism, rock and roll reporting and underground obsessiveness, Lords of Chaos turns into one of the more ...
-
Lord of the Flies: New Educational Edition
By William GoldingNow fully revised and updated, this educational edition includes chapter summaries, comprehension questions, discussion points, classroom activities, a biographical profile of Golding, historical context relevant to the novel and an essay ...