Dismantling the Ottoman Empire: Britain, America and the Armenian question (SOAS/Routledge Studies on the Middle East)

Prior to World War I, American involvement in Armenian affairs was limited to missionary and educational interests. This was contrary to Britain, which had played a key role in the diplomatic arena since the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, when the Armenian question had become a subject of great power diplomacy. However, by the end of the war the dynamics of the international system had undergone drastic change, with America emerging as one of the primary powers politically involved in the Armenian issue. __Dismantling the Ottoman Empire__ explores this evolution of the United States’ role in the Near East, from politically distant and isolated power to assertive major player. Through careful analysis of the interaction of Anglo-American policies vis-à-vis the Ottoman Armenians, from the Great War through the Lausanne Peace Conference, it examines the change in British and American strategies towards the region in light of the tension between the notions of new diplomacy vs. old diplomacy. The book also highlights the conflict between humanitarianism and geostrategic interests, which was a particularly striking aspect of the Armenian question during the war and post war period. Using material drawn from public and personal archives and collections, it sheds light on the geopolitical dynamics and intricacies of great power politics with their long-lasting effects on the reshuffling of the Middle East. The book would be of interest to scholars and students of political & diplomatic history, Near Eastern affairs, American and British diplomacy in the beginning of the twentieth century, the history of the Ottoman Empire, the Middle East and the Caucasus. Cover 1 Title 6 Copyright 7 Contents 8 List of tables 10 Dedication 12 Introduction 14 1 On the eve of the Great War 19 British diplomacy and the Armenian crisis of 1912–14 19 Missionary America and Ottoman Armenians 26 2 War, humanitarian relief, and propaganda (1914–17) 33 British war aims and Ottoman Armenians 33 American policy and its response to the relocation of Ottoman Armenians 45 British propaganda and American involvement 55 Wellington House and American missionaries 59 3 America at war and the resurrection of the Armenian question (1917–18) 71 Non-belligerents at war: America and the Ottoman Empire 71 British pressure and the revival of the Armenian question 85 4 New vs. old diplomacy: a mandate plan (1919) 100 The American attitude toward an Armenian mandate 100 Missionary “diplomacy” and American relief to the Armenians 115 British policy on an Armenian mandate 129 5 “The Wilson Award” and its specter at Lausanne (1920–23) 148 Wilson’s mandate project and its failure 148 A last-ditch attempt for an “Armenian home” 171 Conclusion 184 Bibliography 193 Index 201