Poisoned Well

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The conflicts and crises of today's Middle East are rooted in the colonial era. To understand them, we need to grasp how Western imperialism shaped the region and its destiny in the half-century between 1917 and 1967. That is the challenging argument of this book, which provides a vivid account of the struggle against European colonial rule in ten states stretching from north Africa to south Arabia. Drawing on a rich cast of eye-witnesses – ranging from nationalists and colonial administrators to soldiers, spies, and courtesans – the book brings to life the story of the making of the Middle East, highlighting the great dramas of decolonisation such as the end of the Palestine mandate, the Suez crisis, the Algerian war of independence, and the retreat from Aden. It argues that imperialism sowed the seeds of future conflict – and poisoned relations between the Middle East and the West.