Table of Contents

Introduction The Ottoman-Safavid Conflict Turbulence on Persia's Frontiers Balance of Power in Southeastern Europe Beginnings of the Russo-Ottoman Conflict Decline and Fall of the Safavid State The Era of Nadir Shah Russian Imperialism under Catherine the Great Developments in the Ottoman and Persian Spheres Napoleon Enters the Middle East The Era of Muhammad Ali Anglo-Russian Rivalry in the Persian Sphere The War of 1828 and Its Aftermath The Crimean War Britain and Russia in Persia and Central Asia The Russo-Turkish War of 1877 Confrontations in the Persian Gulf and Egypt Resurgence of Anglo-Russian Rivalry The Close of the Ottoman Era The Last Ottoman War Dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire Bibliography Index

About the Author

MARTIN SICKER is a private consultant who has served as a senior executive in the US government and has taught political science at the American University and George Washington University. Dr. Sicker has written extensively in the field of political science and international affairs. He is the author of 13 previous books, including the companion volumes, The Pre-Islamic Middle East (Praeger, 2000) and The Islamic World in Ascendancy: From the Arab Conquests to the Siege of Vienna (Praeger, 2000).