Lords of the Desert

The Battle Between the United States and Great Britain for Supremacy in the Modern Middle East

Contributors

By James Barr

On Sale
Sep 11, 2018
Page Count
464 pages
Publisher
Basic Books
ISBN-13
9781541617407

A path-breaking history of how the United States superseded Great Britain as the preeminent power in the Middle East, with urgent lessons for the present day

We usually assume that Arab nationalism brought about the end of the British Empire in the Middle East — that Gamal Abdel Nasser and other Arab leaders led popular uprisings against colonial rule that forced the overstretched British from the region.

In Lords of the Desert, historian James Barr draws on newly declassified archives to argue instead that the US was the driving force behind the British exit. Though the two nations were allies, they found themselves at odds over just about every question, from who owned Saudi Arabia’s oil to who should control the Suez Canal. Encouraging and exploiting widespread opposition to the British, the US intrigued its way to power — ultimately becoming as resented as the British had been. As Barr shows, it is impossible to understand the region today without first grappling with this little-known prehistory.

Formats and Prices

Price

$22.99

Price

$29.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. ebook $22.99 $29.99 CAD
  2. Hardcover $35.00 $45.50 CAD

James Barr

About the Author

James Barr is a visiting fellow at King’s College London and the author of A Line in the Sand and Setting the Desert on Fire. He lives in London.

Learn more about this author