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Until the First World War, the Ottoman Empire had dominated the Middle East for four centuries. But its collapse, coupled with the subsequent clash of European imperial policies, unleashed a surge in political feeling among the people as they vied for national self-determination. Over the century that followed, the region has become almost synonymous with unrest and conflict. Why? In an accessible survey of the last century, Contested Lands tells the story of the Middle East: what happened, why, and what it all means today. With a focus on the many conflicts in the region over the last one hundred years, T. G. Fraser analyses the fault lines of the tension: the damaging legacies of imperialism; the creation of the State of Israel; the competition between secular, autocratic rulers and emerging democratic and theocratic forces; and the rise - and fall - of Arab Nationalism in the face of fraying regional alliances and the Islamic revival. Against this backdrop comes the twenty-first century, marked first by the tragedy of 9/11, then the 'Arab Spring' and the ongoing Syria's civil war. And in the midst of it all, complex social and economic change have transformed the region. In Contested Lands, T. G. Fraser untangles the threads of history in the Middle East and, in doing so, weaves a detailed and insightful picture of a troubled region and why its heritage remains important today.
List of contents
Contents
1. The Middle East on the Eve of War
2. The Remaking of the Middle East
3. The New Imperialists Under Challenge
4. The Middle East in Transition
5. The Second World War and the Middle East
6. The United States, the United Nations, and the Future of Palestine
7. War and Revolution
8. From War to War
9. The Middle East Transformed
10. The Search for Stability
11. The Middle East in Turmoil
12. Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Notes
Index
About the author
T. G. Fraser is professor emeritus of the University of Ulster and the author of
The Makers of the Modern Middle East and
Chaim Weizmann: The Zionist Dream.
Summary
In Contested Lands, T. G. Fraser untangles the threads of history in the Middle East and, in doing so, weaves a detailed and insightful picture of a troubled region and why its heritage remains important today.
Additional text
"Fraser guides us deftly through the complexities of the last hundred years of Middle Eastern history and politics, in this engaging and authoritative survey."
— Ruth Henig
"In this sweeping, critical, and engaging historical study, Fraser delivers one of the most comprehensive and accessible volumes on the modern Middle East. Essential reading for the inquisitive."
— Christopher Davidson, author of Shadow Wars: The Secret Struggle for the Middle East
"Contested Lands is a thorough and, indeed, riveting account of the major historical developments in the Middle East following World War I. Using incisive language, Fraser looks at both the local and the global levels to develop a clear picture of a region that so much scholarship has tended to essentialise."
— Oxford Middle East Review
"A welcome addition to the literature on Middle East history and will serve as an introductory volume for undergraduate students and general readers seeking to learn more about the region’s history and the role Western countries have played in it."
— Manara Magazine
