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'Clive Jones' life and times of David Smiley is a wonderful book. It is hugely entertaining and engaging, as well as an impressive piece of scholarship and historical detective work. A fitting biography for one of the true legends of British covert military operations during the twentieth century.'
Rory Miller, Georgetown University Qatar
An academic biography of Colonel David de Crespigny Smiley and his intimate involvement in clandestine operations of the British secret service
This book illuminates the shadowy world of covert British intelligence through an exploration of the life of one of Britain's foremost exponents of irregular warfare. With a particular focus on operations in the Balkans and the Middle East, it offers a granular understanding of the motivations and ideals that informed Smiley's commitment to covert action and intelligence, both during the Second World War and in the early Cold War era. Through extensive use of primary sources, including exclusive interviews with Colonel Smiley, his family and a number of key associates, Clive Jones crafts a detailed study of a man who proudly operated in the shadows for his country, while also addressing the wider issues of morality, accountability and control of clandestine operations.
Clive Jones is Chair in Regional Security (Middle East) at Durham University and Visiting Research Professor in the Department of Historical Studies, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
Cover image and design: www.richardbudddesign.co.uk
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edinburghuniversitypress.com
ISBN 978-1-4744-4115-5
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List of contents
Preface; 1. From the Cradle to Palestine; 2. From Palestine to Abyssinia; 3. Desert Wars; 4. From the Regular to Irregular; 5. A Matter called 'Concensus'; 6. Three Majors. Two for Politics, One for Fighting; 7. Burnt but Alive; 8. Between Ubon and a Hard Place; 9. From Espionage to Sabotage; 10. Subversion and the Ceremonial; 11. As Tough as Teak; 12. Our Man in the Yemen; 13. An Uncomplicated Patriot; Acknowledgements; Bibliography.
About the author
Clive Jones is Professor of Regional Security (Middle East) in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University and Visiting Research Professor in the Department of Historical Studies, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he has published widely on the history and politics of the Middle East with a particular focus on Israel/Palestine and the Gulf. His book
Britain and the Yemen Civil War (Sussex Academic Press, 2010) was the subject of a BBC documentary.
