London and the Invention of the Middle East: Money, Power, and War, 1902-1922

In the first quarter of the twentieth century, the British Government, the banks, and leading individuals in London reached historic decisions that determined the name, shape, and future of the region known as the Middle East. In this innovative and entertaining book, Adelson examines who made policy, on what grounds, with what information, and with what results -- identifying the virtual invention of the modern Middle East and the origins of the ethnic and nationalistic antagonisms that characterize the region today.