FDR and the End of Empire: The Origins of American Power in the Middle East (The World of the Roosevelts)

An account of the origins of American involvement in the Middle East during the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Based upon extensive archival research in Great Britain, the United States, and the Middle East, including sources never previously utilized such as declassified intelligence records, postwar planning documents, and the personal papers of key officials, this is painstakingly researched account of the origins of American involvement in the Middle East during the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. It explores the effort to challenge British and French power, and the building of new relationships with Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Levant states. It also reveals new and controversial discoveries about Roosevelt's views on Palestine, his relations with Middle East leaders, and his often bitter conflicts with Churchill and de Gaulle over European imperialism. Modern-day parallels make this story compelling for followers of current events, World War II, Franklin Roosevelt, the Middle East, or British imperialism "Beginning with the final days of Europe's imperial presence in the Middle East, this powerfully relevant historical study explores the growth of American interests in the region and the ways they intersected with decolonization and the rise of Arab nationalism. Based on extensive archival research in Great Britain and the United States, it surveys the American effort to challenge British and French power in the region and Washington's emerging wartime relationships with Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Levant states. It also provides a fascinating and often surprising look at FDR's views on the Middle East; is relations with Egypt's King Farouk, the Shah of Iran, and King Ibn Saud; and his conflicts with Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle over the future of the region"--Book cover "The problems the US faces today in the Middle East are, in good part, the byproduct of what Franklin Roosevelt and his advisers did or failed to do. Decolonization and nationalism, added to oil and geopolitics, became an explosive mix. In a useful structure that recognizes the differences between the various states of the region, O'Sullivan has provided readers with the raw material, the research pathways, and a framework needed to understand better the nature of that history during its early stages in the Second World War"--Warren Kimball, editor of Churchill and Roosevelt: The Complete Correspondence and author of Forged in War: Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Second World War and The Juggler Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-10 FDR and the End of Empire in the Middle East....Pages 11-26 Iraq Between Two Empires: Great Britain, Arab Nationalism, and the Origins of American Power....Pages 27-48 The New Deal on the Nile: Challenging British Power in Egypt....Pages 49-67 Iran: “A Testing Ground for the Atlantic Charter”....Pages 69-87 FDR and Saudi Arabia: Forging a Special Relationship....Pages 89-103 Palestine: The paradox of Self-Determination....Pages 105-126 FDR’s Road to Damascus: The United States, the Free French, and American “Principles on Trial” in the Levant....Pages 127-145 Conclusion....Pages 147-153 Back Matter....Pages 155-208 "Modern U.S. policies in the Middle East are rooted in World War II, and O'Sullivan - in straight-forward prose that draws from rich archival records both in the United States and overseas - superbly uncovers and analyzes those roots, particularly the explosive (and colorful) FDR-Churchill confrontations over the Prime Minister's determination to restore the British Empire in the region. Oil, of course, is a central theme of O'Sullivan's account, while his case studies, notably the chapter on Iran, are revealing for current, as well as the seminal 1940s, American policies."--Walter LaFeber, Andrew and James Tisch University Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, USA "The author's solid research and thoughtful, objective analysis expertly show that modern US policies in the Middle East are rooted in WW II. Highly recommended."--Choice