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"A breathtaking narrative of decisions taken, brazen motives, and backroom dealings, Three Kings is the first history of America's efforts to supplant the British Empire in the Middle East, during and following World War II. From F.D.R. to L.B.J., this is the story of America's scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on airpower and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq." "Marshaling new and revelatory evidence from the archives, Gardner deftly weaves together three decades of U.S. moves in the region, chronicling the early efforts to support and influence the Saudi regime (including the creation of Dhahran air base, the target of Osama bin Laden's first terrorist attack in 1996), the CIA-engineered coup in Iran, Nasser's Egypt, and, finally, the rise of Iraq as a major petroleum power." Here, the tangled threads of oil, U.S. military might, Western commercial interests, and especially the Israel-Palestine question are visible from the very beginning of "The American Century" - a history with frightening relevance for the distant prospect of peace and stability in the region today.
“Devastatingly effective.”
—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The Limits of Power
1 Introduction to a doctrine 1
2 The United States moves into the Middle East 16
3 The Truman Doctrine protectorate 48
4 The Iran oil crisis 85
5 Damming the Egyptian revolution 135
6 Be careful what you wish for 185
Epilogue 225
Notes 229
Index 249
Anonymous
Posted March 5, 2010
"Three Kings" is a good introduction to America's early involvement in the Middle East and how the flawed assumptions of U.S. leaders contributed to the intensity of the current crisis. It is well-written and accessible to the general reader as well as to the specialist. There are some factual errors, the most glaring of which is a confusion of Muhammad Shah Pahlavi with his father Reza Shah. The book nevertheless presents a fine overview of America's early Mid-East policy.
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Posted July 7, 2010
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Posted October 15, 2011
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Overview
"A breathtaking narrative of decisions taken, brazen motives, and backroom dealings, Three Kings is the first history of America's efforts to supplant the British Empire in the Middle East, during and following World War II. From F.D.R. to L.B.J., this is the story of America's scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on airpower and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq." "Marshaling new and revelatory evidence from the archives, Gardner deftly weaves together