{"product_id":"james-barr-lords-of-the-desert-2018-hardback","title":"James Barr: Lords of the Desert [2018] hardback","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuardian \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Day\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Statesman \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eHistory Today \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBBC History Magazine \u003c\/i\u003eBook of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Bustles impressively with detail and anecdote' \u003c\/b\u003e-\u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Consistently fascinating' \u003c\/b\u003e-\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Beautifully written and deeply researched' \u003c\/b\u003e-\u003ci\u003eThe Observer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Barr draws on a rich and varied trove of sources to knit a sequence of dramatic episodes into an elegant whole. Great events march through these pages' \u003c\/b\u003e-\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cp\u003eUpon victory in 1945, Britain still dominated the \u003cb\u003eMiddle East\u003c\/b\u003e. She directly ruled Palestine and Aden, was the kingmaker in Iran, the power behind the thrones of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan, and protected the sultan of Oman and the Gulf sheikhs. But her motives for wanting to dominate this crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa were changing. Where 'imperial security' - control of the route to India - had once been paramount, now oil was an increasingly important factor. So, too, was prestige. Ironically, the very \u003cb\u003eend of empire\u003c\/b\u003e made control of the Middle East precious in itself: on it hung Britain's claim to be a great power.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUnable to withstand Arab and Jewish nationalism, within a generation the British were gone. But that is not the full story. What ultimately sped Britain on her way was the uncompromising attitude of the United States, which was determined to displace the British in the Middle East.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe British did not give in gracefully to this onslaught. Using \u003cb\u003enewly declassified records\u003c\/b\u003e and long-forgotten memoirs, including the diaries of a key British spy, James Barr tears up the conventional interpretation of this era in the Middle East, vividly portraying the \u003cb\u003etensions between London and Washington\u003c\/b\u003e, and shedding an uncompromising light on the murkier activities of a generation of American and British diehards in the region, from the battle of El Alamein in 1942 to Britain's abandonment of Aden in 1967. Reminding us that the Middle East has always served as the arena for great power conflict, this is the tale of an internecine struggle in which \u003cb\u003eBritain would discover that her most formidable rival was the ally she had assumed would be her closest friend\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReviews for \u003ci\u003eA Line In The Sand:-\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Masterful' \u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ehe Spectator \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'With superb research and telling quotations, Barr has skewered the whole shabby story' \u003cb\u003e-\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 'Lively and entertaining. He has scoured the diplomatic archives of the two powers and has come up with a rich haul that brings his narrative to life' \u003cb\u003e-\u003ci\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Barr, James","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":53119861621075,"sku":"9781471139796","price":28.57,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":false},{"title":"Good","offer_id":53119861588307,"sku":"XG81471139796","price":8.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0616\/4001\/6057\/files\/barr-james-james-barr-lords-of-the-desert-2018-hardback-1224310286.jpg?v=1772149870","url":"https:\/\/chaptersbookstore.com\/products\/james-barr-lords-of-the-desert-2018-hardback","provider":"Chapters Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}