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A Line in the Sand: The Anglo-French Struggle for the Middle East, 1914-1948
by
James Barr (Goodreads Author)
It was the middle of World War I. Two men—one, a visionary British politician (Mark Sykes), the other, a veteran French diplomat (François Georges-Picot)—secretly agreed to divide the Middle East. Britain would have “mandates” in newly created Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq; France in Lebanon and Syria. For the next thirty years, this divide would make uneasy neighbors o...more
Hardcover, 464 pages
Published
January 9th 2012
by W. W. Norton & Company
(first published 2011)
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The blurb above gives you a good all-round picture of the scope of this book. The first thing I should point out is that this book reads like a well written novel. Any history book holds the possibility of killing a subject with a dry regurgitation of facts. The skill lies in presenting them in such a way as to make them interesting, relevant, and memorable. James Barr has achieved this with consummate ease. I don’t say that lightly – I’ve always read quite a lot of history books and some of the...more
Consummately researched history meets great storytelling in this fascinating book about one of the main causes for the current conflict in the Middle East. In college I took a class on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and I remembered the various contradictory promises made by the British to Arabs and Jews during the Palestine Mandate period. What I didn't understand before reading Barr's book was the motivation behind those British actions (and even T.E. Lawrence's heroics!). A bitter, long-st...more
Apr 15, 2013
Eddy Allen
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
arts-and-historical
It was the middle of World War I. Two men one, a visionary British politician (Mark Sykes), the other, a veteran French diplomat (Francois Georges-Picot) secretly agreed to divide the Middle East. Britain would have mandates in newly created Palestine, Transjordan, and Iraq; France in Lebanon and Syria. For the next thirty years, this divide would make uneasy neighbors of two great powers and irreparably shape the Middle East. James Barr combs recently declassified French and British government...more
A follow-up to Barr's previous book, focusing on England and France's rivalry in the post-WWI Middle East. Barr shows that the two sides, nominally allies, were constantly at each other's throats, hoping to undermine their opposite number's prestige and power in the region. The most shocking information comes in the sections on World War II: Barr documents that De Gaulle's Free French were aiding the Irgun and other Zionist terror groups against the British, at the same time the Allies were libe...more
Britain and French tussle for hegemony over, Syria, Lebanon , Trans Jordan Palestine from Post WW1 to post WW2.
Of no great importance in the present geopolitical scene, after all today France and Britain are minor players.
For some one who didn’t have knowledge of historical event in these countries the book was interesting read.
Both the scope seems to be very narrow concerned and detailing the ways and means through which Britain and France were under cutting each other.
Of no great importance in the present geopolitical scene, after all today France and Britain are minor players.
For some one who didn’t have knowledge of historical event in these countries the book was interesting read.
Both the scope seems to be very narrow concerned and detailing the ways and means through which Britain and France were under cutting each other.
Wonderful detail and coherent story of how the current political map of the middle east was determined and why we are witnessing the struggles today.
The hatred between Jews and Arabs may be centuries old but France and England share the blame for the current situation there.
Not printing a map in this book for constant reference is a serious editorial error.
The hatred between Jews and Arabs may be centuries old but France and England share the blame for the current situation there.
Not printing a map in this book for constant reference is a serious editorial error.
Very well-written account of the competition between France and Great Britain for control in the Middle East. You know an author is even handed in his presentation when everyone involved comes ouf looking bad. Though the French funding and arming of Jewish extremest groups disturbed me in particular since it guaranteed an escalated level of violence.
The ugly story of British and French attempts to control the Middle East over the 30 year period from the end of WWI up until the 1948 U.N. partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Hypocrisy, back-stabbing, bloodshed, everything but a hot, sexy subplot in this tragic story of political mischief gone mad.
Complete Clusterf**k!
Good bye Palestine, Hello Viet Nam!
Complete Clusterf**k!
Good bye Palestine, Hello Viet Nam!
Well written overview of the last 100 years in the region. Only criticism is that there are too many anecdotes and references to individuals. It reads like an interconnected series of extremely in depth feature articles which require a thorough understanding of the early articles to understand the later ones.
A great resource for anyone who wants to know how the current situation in Middle East has developed. This book does naturally tell only a small part of the whole story, but it gives light to an less well-known by important chapter of human hustory,
Who's at fault for the ongoing trouble in the Middle east and the failure to come up with some sort of enduring and reasonably acceptable peace plan for Palestine? James Barr's study places much of the blame on the centuries-old animosity and mistrust between The British and the French. For those with short memories, A Line in the Sand is a good refresher course to remind us that Palestinians and Israelis are not the only belligerents in this story. It's also a good reminder of how often politic...more
Hard to keep all the players straight but filled with lots of entertaining, foreign intrigue related to Arabs' and Jews' struggle for nationhood.
Very Good analysis of what took place at the time
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Reviewed by The Independent
Reviewed by The Independent
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I read Modern History at Oxford University. Since then I've worked in Westminster in politics, as a leader-writer for the Daily Telegraph, in the City and most recently in Paris. Now, I'm back in London.
My book on Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt, Setting the Desert on Fire, was first published in 2006.
Something that struck me while I was working on that book was the degree of rivalry betwee...more
More about James Barr...
My book on Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt, Setting the Desert on Fire, was first published in 2006.
Something that struck me while I was working on that book was the degree of rivalry betwee...more
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