In defence of Britain's Middle Eastern empire : a life of Sir Gilbert Clayton / Timothy J. Paris.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paris, Timothy J., 1954- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Diplomats--Great Britain--Biography.

Diplomats.

Colonial administrators--Great Britain--Biography.

Colonial administrators.

Soldiers--Great Britain--Biography.

Soldiers.

Intelligence officers--Great Britain--Biography.

Intelligence officers.

Imperialism--History--20th century.

Imperialism.

Great Britain--Foreign relations--Middle East.

Great Britain.

Middle East--Foreign relations--Great Britain.

Middle East.

Middle East--Politics and government--1914-1945.

Great Britain--Territorial expansion--History--20th century.

Clayton, Gilbert, 1875-1929.

Clayton, Gilbert.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (583 p.)

Place of Publication:

Brighton : Sussex Academic Press, 2016.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) described his war-time chief as 'the perfect leader,' a man who 'worked by influence rather than by loud direction ... He was like water, or permeating oil, creeping silently and insistently through everything. It was not possible to say where Clayton was and was not, and how much really belonged to him.' This is the first biography of General Sir Gilbert Clayton (1875-1929), Britain's pre-eminent 'man-on-the-spot' during the formative years of the modern Middle East. Serving as a soldier, administrator and diplomat in ten different Middle Eastern countries during a 33-year Middle Eastern career, Clayton is best known as the Director of British Intelligence in Cairo during the Great War (1914-16), and as the instigator and sponsor of the Arab Revolt against the Turks. Dedicated to the preservation of Britain's Middle Eastern empire, Clayton came to realize that in the transformed post-war world, Britain could ill afford to control all aspects of the emerging nation-states in the region. In his work as adviser to the Egyptian government (1919-22), he advocated internal autonomy for the Egyptians, while asserting Britain's vital imperial interests in the country. As chief administrator in Palestine (1923-5), he sought to reconcile the Arabs to Britain's national home policy for the Jews, and, at the same time, to solidify Britain's position as Mandatory power. In Arabia, Clayton negotiated the first post-war treaties with the emerging power of Ibn Saud, (1925, 1927), but curtailed his designs on the British Mandates in Iraq and Transjordan. And, in Iraq, where Clayton served as High Commissioner (1929), he backed Iraq's independence within the framework of the British Empire"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

[I] Preparation

Introduction: Following the Furrow

Vectensian : Youth, 1875-95

The Lion and the Sphinx : The British Empire and the Middle East

A Smack at the Khalifa : The Sudan Campaign, 1898

Bimbashi : Clayton in the Egyptian Army

It A'int all Violets Here : Inspector in southern Sudan, 1902-3

Master : Private Secretary to Wingate, 1907-13

Sudan Agent : Cairo, 1913-14

[II] War

Intrusive : Organizing a Middle Eastern Intelligence, 1914-15

Our Friends Across the Water : Origins of the Anglo-Arab Alliance

Clayton and the Pledge : The McMahon-Hussein Correspondence

Like Permeating Oil : Counter-intelligence

Reorganizing the Intelligence, 1916

Egypt's Little Wars : the Conflicts in Libya and Darfur

Revolt! : The Arab Rising, 1916

Between the Upper and the Nether Millstone : The End of Intrusive, 1916

Chief of Staff, Hejaz Operations, 1917

A Very Deep Game : Anglo-French Rivalry in the Middle East

[III] Diplomacy

Jacob and Esau : Arabs and Jews in Palestine, 1918-19

A Nest of Intrigue : Allied Disputes in the Levant

The Shadow and the Substance : The Egyptian Revolution, 1919

Peace and Empire : The Middle Eastern Settlement

A Witch's Cauldron : Egypt, 1920-2

Palestine Revisited : Chief Secretary in the Mandate, 1923-5

Trouble in Transjordan : Clayton and Abdullah, 1923-5

Desert Diplomat : The Arabian Treaties, 1925-6

Rome and Jeddah : Eastern Diplomacy, 1927-8

The Attack of the Ikhwan : The Arabian Threat to Iraq, 1928

Final Posting : High Commissioner for Iraq, 1929

Conclusion: Friend of the Arabs

Appendix: Biographies.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-78284-276-4

1-78284-274-8

OCLC:

935255832