Cairo 1921: Ten Days that Made the Middle East

by C. Brad Faught

Overview

The first comprehensive history of the 1921 Cairo Conference which reveals its enduring impact on the modern Middle East

Called by Winston Churchill in 1921, the Cairo Conference set out to redraw the map of the Middle East in the wake of the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The summit established the states of Iraq and Jordan as part of the Sherifian Solution and confirmed the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine—the future state of Israel. No other conference had such an enduring impact on the region.
 
C. Brad Faught demonstrates how the conference, although dominated by the British with limited local participation, was an ambitious, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to move the Middle East into the world of modern nationalism. Faught reveals that many officials, including T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell, were driven by the determination for state building in the area to succeed. Their prejudices, combined with their abilities, would profoundly alter the Middle East for decades to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300262438
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	07/26/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

C. Brad Faught is professor of history and global studies at Tyndale University. He is the author of seven books, including The Oxford Movement, The New A–Z of Empire, and Kitchener: Hero and Anti-Hero.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vi

Acknowledgements ix

Map xi

Preface 1

1 The First World War in the Middle East 7

2 What a difficult world the war has bequeathed to us!'Middle East Diplomacy after 1918 34

3 Churchill at the Colonial Office: Towards the Cairo Conference 59

4 'Everybody Middle East is here': Ten Days in Cairo, Act I 90

5 'We have done a lot of work': Ten Days in Cairo, Act II 111

6 Not Quite Finished at Cairo: On to Jerusalem 141

7 Cairo in Action: Implementing the Sherifian Solution 166

Conclusion: The Cairo Conference in Historical Retrospect 201

Endnotes 216

Bibliography 234

Index 243

Editorial Reviews

Cairo 1921 is a good read for historians of the Middle East and casual enthusiasts looking to learn more. It shows how colonial powers failed miserably at the closure of their empires, how fragile democracies could be, and how a conference held in Cairo in 1921 and the decisions taken then have had reverberating ramifications 100 years later.”—Omar Darwazah, Arab Studies Quarterly

“A brilliant and comprehensive examination of the events, individuals involved and actions taken by Britain under Churchill as Colonial Secretary and his advisors in Cairo in March 1921 while challenged by nascent nationalism and prevailing colonial mindset.”—Michael D. Berdine, author of Redrawing the Middle East

“A refreshingly clear and straightforward account of the 1921 Cairo Conference that largely shaped the Middle East as we know it today.”—David Stafford, author of Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill

"This is a beautifully written book — accessible and historically rigorous. It seeks to understand the past on its own terms rather than through the prism of our contemporary obsessions. Instead, Professor Faught foregrounds the complex policy challenges facing the British government within the context of the time. The result is a sympathetic but critical account of the way in which the modern Middle East state system emerged. We live with the consequences."—Sir John Jenkins, former British ambassador to Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia
 

From the Publisher

A refreshingly clear and straightforward account of the 1921 Cairo Conference that largely shaped the Middle East as we know it today.”—David Stafford, author of Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill

David Stafford

A brilliant and comprehensive examination of the events, individuals involved and actions taken by Britain under Churchill as Colonial Secretary and his advisors in Cairo in March 1921 while challenged by nascent nationalism and prevailing colonial mindset.”—Michael D. Berdine, author of Redrawing the Middle East

Michael D. Berdine

This magnificent book corrects the myths of decades. In a most readable way and based upon serious archival research, Professor Faught shows us the truth of the origins of today's Middle East in comprehensive fashion. I commend it enthusiastically.”—Christopher Catherwood, author of A Brief History of The Middle East

Christopher Catherwood