Three kings : the rise of an American empire in the Middle East after World War II

"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." --Book Jacket.

three Kings Is A Magisterial Portrait Of America’s Ascent In The Middle East During And Following World War Ii. The Book Reveals A 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, Lloyd Gardner Deftly Weaves Together Three Decades Of U.s. Moves In The Region To Offer The First History Of America’s Efforts To Supplant The British Empire In The Middle East.

publishers Weekly

gardner (pay Any Price) Finds The Roots Of A Fractured And Turbulent Middle East In American Machinations In The Decades Following Wwii. He Begins With The Truman Doctrine, Whose Goal Of Soviet Containment Focused American Power Designs In The Middle East And Whose Parsing Of Strategic Interests As A “global Ideological Struggle” Enabled An “imperial Presidency” And The Vast Allocation Of Military Spending—hallmarks Of 21st-century American Foreign Policy. Rather Than Plodding Through Successive American Presidencies And Their Attendant Policies, Gardner Homes In On Two Key Events In U.s.–middle East Relations—the 1952 Egyptian Revolution And The 1979 Iranian Oil Crisis—and Keeps His Readers Rapt And Focused On The Current Relevance Of These Episodes. He Weaves Together Anecdotes, Congressional Hearings And Historical Accounts To Illustrate How The U.s.'s Carefully Pursued Aim Of Creating A “sphere Of Influence” In The Middle East Has Fomented The Unrest In Iran, A Fraught Saudi Reign And The Israel-palestine Crisis. An Erudite, Persuasively Argued And Lucid Primer For Both The Layperson And The Expert. (nov.)

Table of Contents Three Kings : The Rise of an American Empire in the Middle East after World War II by Gardner, Lloyd C. Terms of Use Preface and Acknowledgments p. ix 1 Introduction to a Doctrine p. 1 2 The United States Moves into the Middle East p. 16 3 The Truman Doctrine Protectorate p. 48 4 The Iran Oil Crisis p. 85 5 Damming the Egyptian Revolution p. 135 6 Be Careful What You Wish For p. 185 Epilogue p. 225 Notes p. 229 Index p. 249 Descriptive content provided by Syndetics"! a Bowker service. Summary Three Kings : The Rise of an American Empire in the Middle East after World War II by Gardner, Lloyd C. Terms of use Telling a story with more twists and turns than a good suspense novel, Gardner (History, Rutgers University) uncovers the facts behind how the U.S. replaced the British Empire as the dominant power in the Middle East. Beginning with Franklin Roosevelt's presidency and continuing to the LBJ years, the author shows how U.S. policymakers scrambled for political influence and oil concessions in the region, and established a new American military presence based on airpower and generous aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. In an account whose particulars are more than vaguely reminiscent of current events, Gardner chronicles three decades of U.S. moves in the region, from early efforts to support and influence the Saudi regime to the CIA-engineered coup in Iran, and from the Nasser revolution in Egypt to the rise of Iraq as a major oil power. Authoritative and very well written, this book will appeal to anyone interested in current events in the Mideast. ^^^^ Annotation c2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Descriptive content provided by Syndetics"! a Bowker service As American policy makers ponder a strategy for withdrawal from Iraq, one of our preeminent diplomatic historians uncovers the largely hidden story of how the United States got into the Middle East in the first place. A breathtaking recovery 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. As American policy makers ponder a strategy for withdrawal from Iraq, one of our preeminent diplomatic historians uncovers the largely hidden story of how the United States got into the Middle East in the first place. A breathtaking recovery of decisions taken, brazen motives, and backroom dealings, Three Kings is the first history of Americas 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 Americas 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 Ladens first terrorist attack in 1996), the CIA-engineered coup in Iran, Nassers 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 Centurya history with frightening relevance for the distant prospect of peace and stability in the region today.