Cairo 1921
Ten Days that Made the Middle East
Published on 26. July 2022
Book
Hardback
264 pages
978-0-300-25674-1 (ISBN)
Description
The first comprehensive history of the 1921 Cairo Conference which reveals its enduring impact on the modern Middle East
Called by Winston Churchill in 1921, the Cairo Conference set out to redraw the map of the Middle East in the wake of the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The summit established the states of Iraq and Jordan as part of the Sherifian Solution and confirmed the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine-the future state of Israel. No other conference had such an enduring impact on the region.
C. Brad Faught demonstrates how the conference, although dominated by the British with limited local participation, was an ambitious, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to move the Middle East into the world of modern nationalism. Faught reveals that many officials, including T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell, were driven by the determination for state building in the area to succeed. Their prejudices, combined with their abilities, would profoundly alter the Middle East for decades to come.
Called by Winston Churchill in 1921, the Cairo Conference set out to redraw the map of the Middle East in the wake of the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The summit established the states of Iraq and Jordan as part of the Sherifian Solution and confirmed the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine-the future state of Israel. No other conference had such an enduring impact on the region.
C. Brad Faught demonstrates how the conference, although dominated by the British with limited local participation, was an ambitious, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to move the Middle East into the world of modern nationalism. Faught reveals that many officials, including T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell, were driven by the determination for state building in the area to succeed. Their prejudices, combined with their abilities, would profoundly alter the Middle East for decades to come.
Reviews / Votes
"Cairo 1921 is a good read for historians of the Middle East and casual enthusiasts looking to learn more. It shows how colonial powers failed miserably at the closure of their empires, how fragile democracies could be, and how a conference held in Cairo in 1921 and the decisions taken then have had reverberating ramifications 100 years later."-Omar Darwazah, Arab Studies Quarterly"A seasoned storyteller. . . . C. Brad Faught has produced a highly readable re-enactment of those diplomatic negotiations that is not short of gusto and dense atmosphere."-Arie M Dubnov, History Today
"A brilliant and comprehensive examination of the events, individuals involved and actions taken by Britain under Churchill as Colonial Secretary and his advisors in Cairo in March 1921 while challenged by nascent nationalism and prevailing colonial mindset."-Michael D. Berdine, author of Redrawing the Middle East
"A refreshingly clear and straightforward account of the 1921 Cairo Conference that largely shaped the Middle East as we know it today."-David Stafford, author of Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill
"This is a beautifully written book - accessible and historically rigorous. It seeks to understand the past on its own terms rather than through the prism of our contemporary obsessions. Instead, Professor Faught foregrounds the complex policy challenges facing the British government within the context of the time. The result is a sympathetic but critical account of the way in which the modern Middle East state system emerged. We live with the consequences."-Sir John Jenkins, former British ambassador to Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
21 b-w illus. + 1 map
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
540 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-300-25674-1 (9780300256741)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
C. Brad Faught is professor of history and global studies at Tyndale University. He is the author of seven books, including The Oxford Movement, The New A-Z of Empire, and Kitchener: Hero and Anti-Hero.