War by Revolution. Germany and Great Britain in the Middle East in the Era of World War I

154 WARBYREVOLUTION

enemy,therebyjeopardizingEgypt.Britishleadersalsoconvinced
themselvesthatamassiveanti-TurkArabmovementexistedinthe
Turkishempire,centeredin SyriabutledbytheSharifofMecca. No
oneinCairoorLondonrealizedthatthealliancebetweentheSyrian
nationalistsandsharifwas infactpoorlycoordinatedandmilitarily
nonexistent.
ClaytonpersuadedtheForeignOffice tomeettheArabdemands,
whichMcMahondid,withfewexceptions,onlytwelve days later.
Scholarshavespeculatedextensivelyaboutwhyal-Faruqisucceeded
indupingClaytonandmostofhiscolleaguesinCairo.Someargue
thatCairo,influencedby SirIanHamilton,theBritishcommander
atGallipoli,believedan ArabrebellionwouldenableBritaintosave
itsbeleagueredarmiesonthepeninsula.Otherwritersbelievethat
CairowasworriedthatBulgaria'sjoiningtheCentralPowers'attack
onSerbiaonIIOctobermightendangertheAlliedsituationat
Gallipoli.sStillothersemphasizethatCairoviewedal-Faruqiandhis
fellowmilitaryofficersasunwittinginstruments,muchlessinter-
estedin an Arabnationthanin apan-Arabunionpresidedover by an
Arabcaliph,whichBritaincouldutilizetopreserveandevenincrease
itspowerandinfluencein theMiddleEast.'Buttheevidencealso
suggeststhatthepanicofofficials inbothCairoandLondonresulted
inlargepartfromtheirfearoftheGermanandTurkishcampaignto
unitetheworldofIslamin a holywaragainsttheAllies. SinceJune
1915,forthespecificpurposeofcounteringGermanjihadpropaganda
intheArabianPeninsula,CairohaddistributedalongtheHijazcoast
aleafletdeclaringthatBritainwouldneitherannexanylandinArabia
norallowanyotherpowertodoSO.6
InOctobertheconcernsoftheBritishalsoinvolvedwhatthey
thoughtweretheirenemies'militaryplansagainstEgypt. Maxwell,
thecommanderofBritishforces inEgypt,alongwithKitchenerand
theprimeminister,HerbertHenryAsquith,expectedasecondattack
bytheGermansandTurksontheSuezCanal.ForMaxwell an alli-
ancewiththeArabswas anecessity,inpartbecause,as hetoldthe
War Officeon 12 October,he feltthat"theArabpartywill go over to
theenemy."Threedayslater,headvisedKitchenerthat"asatisfac-
torysettlementoftheArabquestionwouldgo far tomakeaserious
invasionofEgyptimpossible."?Thediscussionfocusedonwhether