"Britain and the Arab Middle East: World War I and ..." Topic

…its Aftermach

"Winston Churchill mused on the usefulness of studying history, observing that ‘the farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see'. While there is no doubt that a better understanding of the past gives clarity to the present, Churchill's nugget of wisdom seems especially relevant for those studying British wartime exploits in the Middle East. Imperial competition shaped the region in the 20th century and beyond and powerful states are still competing for resources and allegiances from the Gulf to the Levant. Under the weight of this legacy, Robert H. Lieshout revives the era of British moulding and meddling in the Arab world during the Great War.

The relevance of the subject matter is abundantly clear. Less apparent, however, is the importance of this particular book. Emblazoned with the figure of T.E. Lawrence, the cover prompts scepticism: what distinguishes this book from a hundred others on the same topic? The answer is that Britain and the Arab Middle East has little to do with Lawrence of Arabia.

Instead of an Orientalist fantasy of romance and adventure, or a retreading of British patriotic myths, or even a repeat of postcolonial criticisms, Lieshout has produced an innovative and astute analysis of British policy-making in the region between 1914 and 1919…."

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