Somewhere East of Suez Pa

The research is meticulous. The crass stupidity of the guardians of the British Empire as they were unable to adjust their imperial vision to post-war realities now stands as a well documented monument to warn the present wannabe masters of the western World. Dragging the tatters of London's former grandeur in their trail, they are heading down the same track of basing their decisions on a false appreciation of the situation.

I love the author and loved his previous book "A Line in the Sand". For this book, it's not five stars for me but a wonderful read. It picks up where it left off from the previous title and explores the events there after. Very insightful and well researched. I can't wait for the author's next release.

The telling of the incredibly complex issues is masterful!We meander through the history and politics of the time but the author never loses focus of the issues that have shaped the Middle East as we know it today.A fascinating read.

This is one of the best books that I read about the conflict in middle East since I born and live part of my life in this specific area.

Inevitably, you have to compare this book to the author’s superb “A Line in the Sand”, and unfortunately this one pales by comparison. Perhaps it is the nature of the two participants in the struggle described here; Britain versus America just lacks the hoary, visceral quality of Anglo-French rivalry which, in the Middle East, almost took precedence over the broader conflict of the Second Word War, in which the two rivals were supposed to be allies.It is true that, as one of the only two powers left standing – just - at the end of hostilities, Britain’s foreign policy, designed to preserve its influence and economic interests in the Middle East, was bound to clash with that of the other power, the USA. However, the various chapters that the author recounts here – Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Suez, the Gulf States and Aden – lack a coherence of motives and movers. There is no Churchill or De Gaulle here pulling all the strings at the center of their respective webs. Ironically, some of the most well-known events – the Anglo-American engineered regime-change in Iran, that brought the Shah to power, and the Suez war - are the ones that make the most compelling reading; but they are also the ones where the author offers little new insight. The chapter on the Jewish-Arab conflict in Palestine, culminating in the emergence of the State of Israel, not only lacks any original insight, but is also carelessly written and edited, with a number of references back to things that have not actually been previously mentioned.The less well known stories – involving the Gulf Sheikdoms – have a plethora of new information about plots and plotters, covert military operations in the desert, and brother-on-brother and son-on-father treachery; but it is somehow not fascinating; none of the many people concerned are names I had heard of, and there are just too many of them. The book grinds to a close with a fairly perfunctory treatment of Britain’s exit from Aden - its last act in the Middle East; by this time, the USA was too embroiled in the war in Vietnam to care much. Disappointing.

Really excellent. It was so good to be steered through such a complex and important part of history by such a capable voice.Lords of the Desert covers a huge range, in time and in geography; I was worried I would get lost. But the story is genuinely gripping, and the book extremely readable. In part because of the concise writing and wry humour, and in part due to the huge number of quotations from documents of the time – a time when officials spoke and wrote perhaps more candidly than now.I imagine this is a must-have book for scholars of the period, but it is also a really good read for those of us with a more general interest.

You know that uneasy feeling you get when you’ve just finished a really great book and you’re thinking what could I possibly read next that could match this? Well, I have that feeling having just finished Lords of the Desert....What an amazing read, if only Bush, Blair et al had studied their own archives more thoroughly before embarking on their more recent adventures in the Middle East....Thoroughly recommended.

Looking* for a detailed overview of the economic, social and military involvement of the whole people of the USA vis-a-vis that of the UK in the mid 20C middle east? Perhaps look elsewhere.Looking** for the manoeuvres/maneuvers and motivations of a number of influential individuals within that confrontation? This is your book.* i was** i wasn't

I really enjoyed the book. It's sad to read how desperately poor Britain was after the war and how the USA was in asendency. I know nothing compared to the author but I did feel the Americans got a bit of an easy ride as perhaps his research was not as strong on that side. The USA's paranoia about Communism was the root of so many of their decisions yet we never really were told how real those fears were. I think that is an ommision. Doesn't take away though from my enjoyment of the read. Had more respect for Eden's decisions around Nasser as later events made his decisions to be correct.

The author has done a great service to history by presenting the activities and machinations of the US and UK in the Middle East from 1938 to 1967 in a readable and compelling style. Excellent work!