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Even whether to call the Gulf "Arabian" or "Persian" is an unending
argument. Regardless of its name, the Gulf is one of the most
politically important regions of the world. Despite its constant
presence in the headlines, the fact that it was part of the British
Indian empire for many years has gone unappreciated. The long
period of British control and the connections with India are, in
fact, necessary in understanding the contemporary Middle East. With
more than ten years of experience as a government advisor in Saudi
Arabia and Qatar, Paul Rich draws on previously closed archives to
document the actual heritage of the area and dispel the myths. Rich
shows that the influences of Britain and India are far deeper than
commonly acknowledged, and that the sheikhs are actually the
creation of the British Raj. He explains that they owe their
thrones to a small group of British political agents the "Heaven
Born" who created the satraps and then proceeded to rule from
behind the scenes by a clever use of stagecraft and ritual that was
heavily flavored by their experiences at English public schools and
in Masonic lodges. In its attempt to make sense of the complexity
of Arab sheikhdoms in the Gulf, Creating the Arabian Gulf is an
ideal book for students and scholars interested in Middle East
studies and international relations."
Even whether to call the Gulf 'Arabian' or 'Persian' is an unending
argument. Regardless of its name, the Gulf is one of the most
politically important regions of the world. Despite its constant
presence in the headlines, the fact that it was part of the British
Indian empire for many years has gone unappreciated. The long
period of British control and the connections with India are, in
fact, necessary in understanding the contemporary Middle East. With
more than ten years of experience as a government advisor in Saudi
Arabia and Qatar, Paul Rich draws on previously closed archives to
document the actual heritage of the area and dispel the myths. Rich
shows that the influences of Britain and India are far deeper than
commonly acknowledged, and that the sheikhs are actually the
creation of the British Raj. He explains that they owe their
thrones to a small group of British political agents_the 'Heaven
Born'_who created the satraps and then proceeded to rule from
behind the scenes by a clever use of stagecraft and ritual that was
heavily flavored by their experiences at English public schools and
in Masonic lodges. In its attempt to make sense of the complexity
of Arab sheikhdoms in the Gulf, Creating the Arabian Gulf is an
ideal book for students and scholars interested in Middle East
studies and international relations.
Chronicling the British military's invasion of Iraq in 1917,
Eleanor Franklin Egan was an intrepid American journalist whose
autobiographical account of her time spent amongst British officers
describes the relationship between British and American forces in
the Middle East during and just after World War I. Egan's account
of military life and the actions taken by British officers to
secure the British Empire's position in the Middle East is
particularly striking, as readers begin to see the parallels
between the early twentieth century British presence there and the
current American presence in Iraq. This book should be read by all
those interested in understanding the ways in which the modern
Middle East has adapted as a result of invasion and imperialism.
With a new critical introduction that explores the choices made by
the United States that have led them to inherit the United
Kingdom's position in the Gulf, Paul J. Rich offers an analysis of
Egan's work that will allow contemporary readers to see that what
is going on in Iraq now is nothing new.
Chronicling the British military's invasion of Iraq in 1917,
Eleanor Franklin Egan was an intrepid American journalist whose
autobiographical account of her time spent amongst British officers
describes the relationship between British and American forces in
the Middle East during and just after World War I. Egan's account
of military life and the actions taken by British officers to
secure the British Empire's position in the Middle East is
particularly striking, as readers begin to see the parallels
between the early twentieth century British presence there and the
current American presence in Iraq. This book should be read by all
those interested in understanding the ways in which the modern
Middle East has adapted as a result of invasion and imperialism.
With a new critical introduction that explores the choices made by
the United States that have led them to inherit the United
Kingdom's position in the Gulf, Paul J. Rich offers an analysis of
Egan's work that will allow contemporary readers to see that what
is going on in Iraq now is nothing new.
Detailing two years in the life of a British political officer
charged with establishing and maintaining British rule in the
Kurdish district of Arbil in Iraq, this personal account provides a
thorough discussion of Kurdish society from the viewpoint of
Captain William Rupert Hay. Chronicling the British government's
desperate attempts to establish a civil administration in Iraq just
after World War I, Two Years in Kurdistan shows how, as member of
the Indian Political Service, Captain Hay attempted to bring
British rule to his corner of Iraq.
Detailing two years in the life of a British political officer
charged with establishing and maintaining British rule in the
Kurdish district of Arbil in Iraq, this personal account provides a
thorough discussion of Kurdish society from the viewpoint of
Captain William Rupert Hay. Chronicling the British government's
desperate attempts to establish a civil administration in Iraq just
after World War I, Two Years in Kurdistan shows how, as member of
the Indian Political Service, Captain Hay attempted to bring
British rule to his corner of Iraq.
Gertrude Bell was one of a select group of Western Arabists who
helped create the modern Middle East. She was arguably the single
most influential individual in Iraq when the British attempted in
the aftermath of World War I to create a nation out of regions that
had long been different provinces of the Ottoman Empire. She was
called upon to produce this succinct but insightful volume as a
guide for the military officers and civil servants who were
attempting to create an Iraqi government. A long dispute over
whether the volume was actually written by her is settled in Dr.
Paul Rich's introduction. It not only was written by Bell, but the
reader can see in what she choose to emphasize just what her own
views on the course that the development of Iraq should take.
Unfortunately Bell's dreams of a successful outcome for Iraq in the
aftermath of the war floundered, partly because of the ineptitude
of the occupiers but partly too because of the irreconcilable
factions that today, so many years later, remain an overwhelming
obstacle to peace. Broken in spirit, Bell took her own life and
joined Lawrence of Arabia in what is a pantheon of romantic if
disillusioned admirers of the Arab lands.
Gertrude Bell was one of a select group of Western Arabists who
helped create the modern Middle East. She was arguably the single
most influential individual in Iraq when the British attempted in
the aftermath of World War I to create a nation out of regions that
had long been different provinces of the Ottoman Empire. She was
called upon to produce this succinct but insightful volume as a
guide for the military officers and civil servants who were
attempting to create an Iraqi government. A long dispute over
whether the volume was actually written by her is settled in Dr.
Paul Rich's introduction. It not only was written by Bell, but the
reader can see in what she choose to emphasize just what her own
views on the course that the development of Iraq should take.
Unfortunately Bell's dreams of a successful outcome for Iraq in the
aftermath of the war floundered, partly because of the ineptitude
of the occupiers but partly too because of the irreconcilable
factions that today, so many years later, remain an overwhelming
obstacle to peace. Broken in spirit, Bell took her own life and
joined Lawrence of Arabia in what is a pantheon of romantic if
disillusioned admirers of the Arab lands.
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