FDR and the End of Empire

The Origins of American Power in the Middle East

C. O'Sullivan

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781137025241
• eBook ISBN: 9781137025258
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern History
• Index: History

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.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction: A New Deal for the Middle East
• 1. FDR and the End of Empire in the Middle East
• 2. Iraq Between Two Empires: Great Britain, Arab Nationalism, and the Origins of American Power
• 3. The New Deal on the Nile: Challenging British Power in Egypt
• 4. Iran: “A Testing Ground for the Atlantic Charter”
• 5. FDR and Saudi Arabia: Forging a Special Relationship
• 6. Palestine: The Paradox of Self-Determination
• 7. FDR’s Road to Damascus: The United States, the Free French, and American “Principles on Trial” in the Levant
• Conclusion: Sowing the Dragon’s Teeth: Th e Origins of American Empire in the Middle East
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index