Desert Revolution Chronicle

Author: T.E. Lawrence
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1997-03-01
Features: The Middle East has been a region of turmoil since ancient times. The book tells the story of the Arabs cooperating with the British to break free from the Ottoman Empire during World War I. This can be considered the opening act of modern Middle Eastern history. From that time to the end of World War II was the second act. In 1948, the State of Israel emerged, and modern Middle Eastern history entered the third act. The outbreak of the Lebanese Civil War and the Iran-Iraq War does not necessarily mark the beginning of a new act; we will have to wait and see. The afterword of the book discusses the establishment of Iraq and Transjordan, two protected Arab states under British influence. Except for these two countries, Syria and Lebanon were French "mandates," and Palestine was a British "mandate," all decided at the Paris Peace Conference. The Arabs of Syria have always been dissatisfied with French rule and have continuously rebelled, but it was not until World War II that they achieved formal independence. In addition to the Arabs' dissatisfaction with British rule in Palestine, a new unstable factor—Zionism—has emerged.