Iraq in World War I: From Ottoman Rule to British Conquest

The victors of WWI created the modern Middle East, but little has been written and even less is known about Iraq during WWI. Similar to his earlier works on Persia, Dr. Majd combines extensive research of U.S. State Department archives with official British sources to create a timely history of Iraq from 1910 to 1918 that will promote a better understanding of subsequent Iraqi and Middle Eastern history. In 1914, Great Britain invaded Iraq and Persia to gain control of the region's vast oil resources. With the Allies attacking the Ottoman Empire from every direction and the ongoing discord between Iraq's Shia and Sunni populations, the British anticipated an easy victory. Instead they encountered a vigilant force of Shia and Sunni Arabs and Turks united against the British invasion. It was only after America's direct entry into the war, the revolution in Russia, and occupation of the oil-rich province and city of Mosul after the cease-fire with Turkey, that Britain was able to complete the conquest of the region. After the war "mandates" and "modern nation-states" were established and the stage was set for the oil ententes of the 1920s that divided the oil among the victors. This book chronicles an important and under researched period of Middle Eastern history. It is the third book in Majd's World War I trilogy.