A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin, Elizabeth Stein (Editor)

Tortuous Destiny of Middle Eastern Tapestry
Serge Van Steenkiste (sergevs@joimail.com), A reviewer, 02/28/2005

David Fromkin gives his readers a sweeping account of the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the birth of the contemporary Middle East, defined as Egypt, Israel, Iran, Turkey, the Arab states of Asia, Central Asia and Afghanistan (pg. 16). Fromkin mainly focuses on the decision-making process of Europeans and Americans who, between 1914 and 1922, determined the fate of the region without any input of its inhabitants (pg. 17, 400). The area that the much-diminished, anachronistic Ottoman Empire occupied in 1914 was one of the few territories that the European empires had not yet shared among themselves (pg. 24, 32). The European powers did not wait for the fall of the Ottomans before arguing about their respective zones of influence in the region after the war. Statesmen such as Lloyd George, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Kitchener, T.E. Lawrence, Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin played leading roles in re-shaping the region. Winston Churchill - at times unintentionally - had the most enduring impact on its cartography (pg. 19, 25, 73, 385-388, 493-529, 558-567). After losing the patronage of Britain against Russia, the weakened Ottoman Empire, anxious to pursue its modernization while living in fear of Western powers' designs, convinced Germany to become its partner in 1914 (pg. 33-50, 75, 142). Fromkin convincingly demonstrates that Churchill was not to blame for pushing Turkey into the arms of Germany (pg. 54-76). Britain and allied powers believed that the Ottoman war would be a sideshow that could be easily managed (pg. 83, 115, 119-123) but they were repeatedly proven wrong (pg. 200-203, 215, 248, 289, 301). The poorly executed attack on Turkey at the Dardanelles could have considerably shortened the duration of the war (pg. 127, 264). Churchill was the scapegoat for the fiasco and was demoted within the government (pg. 128, 154, 159, 161-162, 233). After resigning and spending a few months in the wilderness, Churchill, who was perceived as dangerous across the board, was brought back to the government at the insistence of Lloyd George, the new British Prime Minister (pg. 166, 234, 265-266). Kitchener and his Lieutenants acting on his behalf in British Cairo imposed their design on government's policy towards the Middle East at the expense of the India Office (pg. 88-95, 106-110). Britain would rule the region indirectly after the fall of the Ottoman Empire (pg. 85). Like the French, Kitchener and his men wrongly assumed that the Moslem Middle East would be glad to be ruled by Christians (pg. 93-94, 102, 106). The British looked at Hussein, the Sherif of Mecca and its Emir, as the ideal candidate for the position of 'Pope' of Islam (pg. 105). The British leadership wrongly believed that Islam was a single entity and that temporal and spiritual authority could be easily split (pg. 96, 104). The Arabs misled the Allies about their true strength to fight the Ottoman Empire. This cost Britain dearly because their core competency was only guerilla warfare against the Turks, until the capture of Jerusalem (pg. 186-187, 219-222, 309, 313, 377-378, 396). Over time, the British became disillusioned with Hussein. However, they supported two of his sons in the fulfillment of their ambitions (pg. 326-329, 506-512). Britain entered into negotiations with France, Russia, and later Italy that ultimately resulted in the cursed Sykes-Picot-Sazanov agreement and other secret treaty understandings to share the spoils of victory in the Middle East (pg. 189-199, 267, 287, 330, 334-335, 342-344, 373-379, 391-402). The Allies had no intention to pay the price Hussein demanded for his support to the allied cause (pg. 186, 227); only lip service was paid in the field to the nominal pro-Arab independence policies of London during and after WWI (pg. 325, 345). The French and Russians showed similar contempt for Arab and Islamic aspirations of independence in the Middle East in the same period (pg. 378, 435-440, 463-490). Much to their dismay, the Americans discovered the existence of all the secret arrangements of the Allies to partition the region after the overthrow of Tsarist Russia in 1917. As Colonel House and Arthur Balfour presciently remarked, these imperialistic arrangements were sowing the seeds of future wars in the region (pg. 257, 400). Similarly, President Wilson predicted that peace would be illusory if its terms were not basically fair to all sides (pg. 399). To the surprise of some 21st century observers, British leaders in London first anticipated no negative reaction against the Balfour Declaration from their Arab Allies. Like some prominent Jews, they believed that there was no essential incompatibility between the Arab and Zionist ideals (pg. 283, 321, 324, 444, 519-520, 527). British leaders had seen France as their only obstacle (pg. 292-293, 297). The local British administration was to some extent supporting Arab violence against Jewish settlements. They sowed doubts about the feasibility of a Jewish homeland cut out of Palestine that was encompassing present Jordan, in the minds of some enthusiastic pro-Zionists (pg. 445-448, 504-505, 513-529). The uncompromising position of Amin-al-Husseini and his successors greatly harmed the Palestinian cause (pg. 517-518). Iraq was another British creation that has not shown much stability since its beginnings in the 1920s. The recently terminated Sunni Arab dominance over the other population groups has cast a long shadow over the inter-ethnic relationships in this fragile country (pg. 449-454, 503-506). Similarly, the French did not fully realize the risks when they carved Lebanon out of Syria and put the Maronite minority in charge of the new country. The marginalization of the predominantly Muslim population eventually led to the civil war in the 1970s and 1980s and later on to the ineffectual 'syrianization' of Lebanon (pg. 17, 439). Fromkin's book remains as relevant as ever to persons committed to the prosperity of the Middle East.

A great testimonial on elitist policies !
Richard S., A reviewer, 12/04/2004

Mr. Fromkin from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and an expert on conflicts has written a marvelous book that thoroughly delineated the policies of the dominant powers in the early 1900s, which led to the creation of the modern Middle East. Mr. Fromkin discusses how the seeds of conflict were created by the colonial powers, in order to ensure their continuous dominance over the Middle East and its natural resources. This book subtly addresses the politics of discord creation, and the importance of well designed conflicts in attaining the desired results. Peace to end all peace is a great reading for the history buff who is interested in an elitist perspective.

Phenomenal
A reviewer, A reviewer, 11/13/2003

A concise, exciting, well-written condensation of the creation of the modern Middle East from the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. Fromkin's scope is vast but the prose never gets lost or loses its verve. Anyone interested in understanding all the current yammering about the 'arbitrary' nature of modern Middle East borders will do well to read this book.

An excellent study & a very appropriate title !
D. Roberts, reader from South Wales, UK., 10/16/2002

This is a first class, detailed analysis of how the Middle East as we know it today was formed. I would highly recommend that this book is read together with Efraim Karsh's "Empires Of The Sands; The Struggle For Mastery Of the Mid-East, 1789 - 1923", for a thorough grounding in this subject. Recent events have shown that, whether we like it or not, matters pertaining to the region are going to affect us all in one way or another. With this in mind, it is disturbing that most people possess an overwhelming, innocent, ignorance or apathy in relation to the background of the region and the context of ongoing disputes and military struggles. This book provides an excellent public service in bringing essential information to the public's attention. Without books like this, such an ignorance of regional matters such as the Palestinian-Israeli issue and Islamic Fundamentalism can give rise to a distorted understanding of these matters, making the public at large so vulnerable to disinformation and propaganda. The author covers the hatreds, disputes, rivalries, vested self-interests and hidden agendas of those individuals and nations involved and responsible for carving out and mapping the region during the post First World War years. The decision making process is covered in detail with reference to recently opened archives of hitherto official secret documents and private papers. This is essential reading for an accurate comprehension of the region. Some matters will astound you, especially the level of appeasement shown by my own British Government towards the regions' Arabs and how the British, with a swipe of the pen, literally gave away the vast majority of land promised as a new Jewish state, to form the new country of Transjordan. Read on and digest. Once you have read this and the book outlined above by Efraim Karsh, might I respectfully recommend that you then proceed to read Joan Peter's remarkable account of the region entitled, "From Time Immemorial; The Origins Of The Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine". Thank you.

Also recommended: "From Time Immemorial; The Origins Of The Arab-Jewish Conflict Over Palestine", by Joan Peters & "Empires Of The Sands; The Struggle For Mastery Of The Mid-East, 1789-1923".

A Masterful Exploration of the Creation of Hell-on-Earth
Rob Jacques (robjacques@aol.com), a student of The Great War, 05/17/2001

Ever wonder how the Mid-East got to be in the mess it's in? Read this comprehensive, richly detailed, and thoroughly objective book about the arrogance, ignorance, bad diplomacy and good intentions of European nations and the Ottoman Empire in the first two decades of the Twentieth Century. Fromkin eloquently describes enough self-aggrandizement and bungling to keep the Middle East in turmoil for at least another millennium, long after all the oil runs out. Want to read the very best short history of the modern Mid-East? This is the book.