War and Peace in Qajar Persia: Implications Past and Present (History and Society in the Islamic World (Hardcover))

With new and existing evidence being reconsidered, this edited collection takes a multidisciplinary approach to discussing the Qajar system within the context of the wars that engulfed it and the periods of peace that ensued. It throws new light on the decision-making processes, the restraints on action, and the political exigencies at play during the Qajar years. Persia Felix could never have been a phrase coined to describe modern Iran. Her lot since the period of the Qajars has been to stand in the crossfire of great power politics. In this collection, a new debate takes place on the approach of the Qajar system (1796-1925) within the context of the wars that engulfed it and the quality of the peace that ensued. Consistent with the pattern of history, much of the material available until now on the Qajar era, particularly as regards its responses to crisis, its military preparedness and the social organization of its borderlands, was written by the victors of the wars. This volume, in contrast, throws new light on the decision-making processes, the restraints on action and the political, economic and social exigencies at play through analysis that looks at the Persian question from the inside looking out. The results are often surprising, as what they reveal is a Persia more astute politically than previous analysis has allowed, strategically more adept at spurning the multiple interventions in the face of the severe economic pressures being brought to bear by the Great Powers. Although history reconceived does not paint a purely rosy picture of the Qajars, it does offer a reassessment based on Persia's geopolitical position, the frequently unpalatable options it had to choose from, and the strategic need to protect its resources. Today events in Iran and Western Asia appear to echo many of th power plays of the nineteenth-century's Great Game. States of the region are again seeking advantage of their neighbours; the issue of oil nationalism is at the top of the agenda as it was in the early twentieth century, and great power dominance, indeed intervention, has become a central theme. The essays in this volume make it clear that an understanding of how policies were formulated during the Qajar era can provide historical dimension to current analysis of the region, as similar circumstances today may be engendering like responses. This volume makes an important contribution to the effort of rewriting the historical record. It is a revisionism that is overdue not only in respect to an era that in itself has been understudied and misunderstood, but that carries significant linkages to present-day conditions. -- Back cover Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Figures......Page 8 Contributor list......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 Prologue: The dream of empire......Page 26 Part I: War......Page 32 1 Between Scylla and Charybdis: Policy-making under conditions of constraint in early Qajar Persia......Page 34 2 Building a new army: Military reform in Qajar Iran......Page 60 3 The Turko-Persian War 1821–1823: Winning the war but losing the peace......Page 101 4 Social networks and border conflicts: The First Herat War 1838–1841......Page 123 Part II: Peace......Page 136 5 The consolidation of Iran’s frontier on the Persian Gulf in the nineteenth century......Page 138 6 Narrowing the frontier: Mid-nineteenth century efforts to delimit and map the Perso-Ottoman boundary......Page 162 7 Crime, security, and insecurity: Socio-political conditions of Iran, 1875–1924......Page 187 8 Merchants without borders: Trade, travel, and a revolution in late Qajar Iran (The memoirs of Hajj Mohammad-Taqi Jourabchi, 1906–1911)......Page 196 9 The politics of concession: Reassessing the interlinkage of Persia’s finances, British intrigue and Qajar negotiation......Page 226 Index......Page 242 Introduction / Roxane Farmanfarmaian -- Prologue : The Dream Of Empire / Peter W. Avery -- War -- Between Scylla And Charybdis : Policy-making Under Constraint In Early Qajar Persia / Manoutchehr M. Eskandari-qajar -- Building A New Army : Military Reform In Qajar Iran / Stephanie Cronin -- The Turko-persian War Of 1821-1823 : Winning The War But Losing The Peace / Graham Williamson -- Social Networks And Border Conflicts : The First Herat War 1838-1841 / Vanessa Martin -- Peace -- The Consolidation Of Iran's Frontier On The Persian Gulf In The Nineteenth Century / Lawrence G. Potter -- Narrowing The Frontier : Mid-nineteenth Century Efforts To Delimit And Map The Perso-ottoman Border / Richard Schofield -- Crime, Security, And Insecurity : Socio-political Conditions Of Iran, 1875-1924 / Mansoureh Ettehadieh (nezam-mafie) -- Merchants Without Borders : Trade, Travel And Revolution In Late Qajar Iran (the Memoirs Of Hajj Mohammad-taqi Jourabchi, 1907-1911) / Ali Gheissari -- The Politics Of Concession : Reassessing The Interlinkage Of Persia's Finances, British Intrigue And Qajar Negoation / Roxane Farmanfarmaian. Edited By Roxane Farmanfarmaian. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Interdisciplinary Studies Book Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Figures 8 Contributor list 9 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction 14 Prologue: The dream of empire 26 Part I: War 32 1 Between Scylla and Charybdis: Policy-making under conditions of constraint in early Qajar Persia 34 2 Building a new army: Military reform in Qajar Iran 60 3 The Turko-Persian War 1821–1823: Winning the war but losing the peace 101 4 Social networks and border conflicts: The First Herat War 1838–1841 123 Part II: Peace 136 5 The consolidation of Iran’s frontier on the Persian Gulf in the nineteenth century 138 6 Narrowing the frontier: Mid-nineteenth century efforts to delimit and map the Perso-Ottoman boundary 162 7 Crime, security, and insecurity: Socio-political conditions of Iran, 1875–1924 187 8 Merchants without borders: Trade, travel, and a revolution in late Qajar Iran (The memoirs of Hajj Mohammad-Taqi Jourabchi, 1906–1911) 196 9 The politics of concession: Reassessing the interlinkage of Persia’s finances, British intrigue and Qajar negotiation 226 Index 242