The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History

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BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen talks about his new book on the Middle East and about his life as a foreign correspondent including his most recent travels to the frontline in Ukraine. La transmission de legs ottomans en Tunisie. La maisonnée Bū Ḥājib des années 1870 aux années 1930.

The Making of the Modern Middle East - Pan Macmillan The Making of the Modern Middle East - Pan Macmillan

The mainstay of the plan was that France and Great Britain were prepared to recognise and protect an independent Arab state, or confederation of Arab states – in exchange for Arab help in overthrowing the Ottoman Empire. Conflicting promises Esme Young Interviewed by Sophie Ratcliffe Behind the Seams: My Life in Creativity, Friendship and Adventure SOLD OUT Weston Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Mon 27 Monday, 27 March 2023 See this event In The Making of the Modern Middle East – in part based on his acclaimed podcast, ‘Our Man in the Middle East’ – Bowen takes us on a journey across the Middle East and through its history. He meets ordinary men and women on the front line, their leaders, whether brutal or benign, and he explores the power games that have so often wreaked devastation on civilian populations as those leaders, whatever their motives, jostle for political, religious and economic control. Michael B. Oren's Six Days of War is probably the most comprehensive book published on Israel's 1967 conflict with the Arab world to date. Painstakingly researched and scrupulously fair, Oren's strength is dealing with the causes and effects of the war. He discusses every diplomatic move and counter-move that the belligerent countries and their superpower allies (the U.S. and U. S. S. R.) made, and how those decisions impact Middle East policy to this day. Oren is noticeably weaker when discussing the actual tactics of the war, choosing to view the military units as pieces in a diplomatic chess game rather than giving the reader a sense of what the soldier on the ground was feeling, although he does do a fantastic job in describing the climactic battle for Jerusalem. In a century I believe the military historians will compare this war with the most famous wars in all times. The book has a lot of not “everyone knows” details, and gives the info gotten from all possible sources and languages. It is a fascinating story (I mean six day war) written seriously and objectively.The Sykes-Picot Agreement was the result of secret deliberations between British civil servant Mark Sykes and French diplomat François Georges-Picot. The Sykes-Picot Agreement created the modern Middle East. It represents one of the first instalments in a long line of modern European – and subsequent American – meddling in the region. And, in providing a set of unrealistic and impossible promises to the Arabs, it led directly to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Area “A” was to be under French influence and control, while “B” was to be under British influence and control. The Sykes-Picot Agreement also proposed an “international administration” for Palestine. Michael B. Oren (Hebrew: מיכאל אורן; born Michael Scott Bornstein on May 20, 1955) is an American-born Israeli historian, author, politician, former ambassador to the United States (2009–2013), and current member of the Knesset for the Kulanu party and the Deputy Minister for Diplomacy in the Prime Minister's Office.

States of Separation Transfer, Partition, and the Making of States of Separation Transfer, Partition, and the Making of

Jasmine Donahaye Interviewed by Jem Poster Birdsplaining: A Natural History Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 2:00pm Mon 27 Monday, 27 March 2023 See this event In war, the mistakes of the enemy are often as important as the plans of the winners. In this case, arrogance and mistrust among the Egyptian leaders was followed by a betrayal by their allies. The end was Israel more than doubling in territory and smashing three Arab armies. Michael Oren interviewed such figures as former Jordanian Brigade Commander Ata Ali, Egyptian historian Issam Darraz former Syrian Ambassador to the UN, George Tomeh, former MOSSAD chief, Meir Amit, former Israeli Foreign Minister, Abba Eban, widow of PM Levi Eshkol, Miriam Eshkol, former IDF Chief of Operations and later President, Ezer Weizmann and former Deputy IDF Chief of Staff and later Tourism Minister, Rechavam Ze'evi, interviewed a month before his brutal murder by terrorists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine , in the corridor of a Jerusalem hotel , former members of the Supreme Soviet and Soviet military advisors to the Egyptians and Syrians and former Le Monde correspondent , Eric Rouleau , just to name a few of the Syrians , Egyptians , Jordanians , Israelis , French , British and Russians that Oren interviewed. The agreement, then, helped frame the contours of modern nation states in a region where before there had been none. Since it’s essentially an accord between two colonialist powers external to the region, it would have devastating effects. This is a very interesting book about Israel-Arab war. Because our generation witnessed this war and not looking at it only in retrospect it is especially interesting for me. I still clearly remember all propaganda Soviets conducted at that time... I remeber wwhat was written at that time in Soviet newspapers and what was broadcasted...MyHome.ie (Opens in new window) • Top 1000 • The Gloss (Opens in new window) • Recruit Ireland (Opens in new window) • Irish Times Training (Opens in new window)

The Making of the Modern Middle East - Pan Macmillan

To that end, it should be noted that Oren is an American-born Israeli, who – years after Six Days of War was published in 2003 – served as the Israeli ambassador to the United States. Nevertheless, Oren does not write from the Israeli perspective, but puts himself into all the various halls of power, and – in my opinion – does an able job of looking out the eyes of others. Certainly, he is not disrespectful towards the Arab nations or individuals, and judges them by what they knew, and what they faced. A far better history of the 1967 war is Jeremy Bowens "Six Days: How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East" which gives a better picture of the reality of that war rather than the pseudo propaganda that Oren has manufactured. Oren has written many articles commenting on current political issues. Before assuming his diplomatic post, he published frequently in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The New Republic, where he was a contributing editor. He appeared on Charlie Rose, The Daily Show,[54] the Today Show, and he John Batchelor Show. As ambassador, he has published nearly forty op-eds and has given dozens of television interviews, including Bill Maher, Colbert Report, The View, and The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. Beatrice Searle and Ellie Evelyn Orrell Chaired by David Isaac The Power of Art: Stone Will Answer and An Indigo Summer Weston Lecture Theatre 4:00pm Mon 27 Monday, 27 March 2023 See this eventOne laughs (or cries, it depends) at the yawning gap between the Arab leaders grandiose and extravagant claims and military moves in the months prior to the war (whether they meant any of it or not is almost besides the point; they probably did not, but they all said it, and they, especially the Egyptians, moved troops around as if they meant it) and the actual abilities of their tinpot regimes. The lower level Arab units were brave enough, but the senior echelons (except in the relatively competent Jordanian army) were sub-standard and the top leadership was criminally incompetent and utterly buffoonish. Whether Israel laid a trap and they fell into it, or it was a series of accidents and bad decisions, or something in between, the bare facts are brutal. Perhaps the best way to look at it is to note that the gap between the two cultures was just too great; the Arab buffoonery and grandstanding itself being just one manifestation of that tremendous cultural gap. And 15-20,000 ordinary soldiers and junior officers paid the ultimate penalty for it. I really liked this book. It has a nice balance between a history of the ME (probably 95%) and personal history of the author (probably 5%). So much of the story I heard as news fragments without really understanding the underlying structures, at least in a joined up way. To get a sense of the broken promises, it’s worthwhile comparing the Sykes-Picot Agreement to two other contemporary documents. These are the McMahon-Hussein letters and the 1917 Balfour Declaration. The Big Lie had boomeranged. Instead of prodding the Soviets to come to the Arabs’ assistance, it impelled them to pursue a cease-fire. The Arabs, in turn, were incensed. By the third day of the war, Nasser was not only talking in terms of Western collaboration with Israel, but of an implicit Soviet-American understanding not to come to blows in the Middle East. For the Soviets, the only way out of this vicious circle was to ignore the Arab dimension for now, and focus their attention on Israel.