A comprehensive new history of British imperial policy-making in the Arab world.
Robert H. Lieshout is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at Radboud University in the Netherlands. He has published widely on the theory and history of international relations, including two major works of Political Science: Between Anarchy and Hierarchy: A Theory of International Relations and Foreign Policy (1995); and The Struggle for the Organization of Europe: The Foundations of the European Union (1999). He was president of the Dutch Political Science Association from 1999 till 2003. This book is based on extensive archival research spanning several decades.
'Britain and the Arab Middle East focuses on the bureaucratic tussle within Whitehall that shaped these controversial wartime policies. Through extensive archival research and dashes of irreverent humour, the book is authoritative and engaging, while walking the fine line between history and political science. The writing is superb; the research has been undertaken with great care; and the treatment of historical figures is fair...the triumph of this book is in the detail. Lieshout provides an unprecedented unpacking of the inter-office rivalry and jumble of complex issues competing for attention that British officials juggled while inadvertently shaping the future of the world.' - History Today, "Britain and the Arab Middle East is unique in its comprehensive treatment of how and why the British generals and diplomats acted as they did. By taking as his starting point the voluminous, contradictory and revealing records of the policy-makers in the British government, Robert H. Lieshout shows convincingly that many concerned with foreign policy making were quite oblivious to the history and complexities of the Islamic World. Covering the full sweep of British involvement in Arabia, he makes a lasting contribution to understanding how the British Empire tried to change the world and how shallow and confused the understanding of those that shaped the future of the Middle East really was." - Historical Association
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