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

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Husayn'smeetingwithSykesandPicotdidlittletolessenBritish
fearsthattheenemymightpersuadetheshariftostoptheArab re-
volt. AnimportantquestioniswhetherBritain'sconcernaboutal-
legedGermanandTurkishapproachestotheArabsinfluenceditto
renewduringthesummerandfalltheEEF'sadvanceintoPalestine,
coordinatedcloselywiththeactivitiesoftheArab rebels. ByJuneFaysal
andhis forces,followinganoperationalplansuggestedby T. E.
LawrenceandapprovedinbothLondonandCairo,hadmovednorth
fromal-Wejh.Theyrecruitednewfollowersamongthetribesand
destroyedbridges,track,andcommunicationsalongtheHijazrail-
road.On 6 JulytheArabscapturedAqaba,for use as acenterfrom
whichto cuttherailroadbetweenMaanandDeraa.Theultimate
goalwas to raise tribalforces thatwouldharasstherailroadfrom
DamascustoAleppo,frombasesfurthernorthin Syria.3D
DuringAugusttheBritishmovedFaysalandhis force toAqaba
and,withHusayn'spermission,incorporatedthemintotheEEFun-
der its newcommander,Allenby. However,theBritishofficials in Cairo
hopedeventuallyto usetheArab forces formuchmorethansimply
militarypurposes;postwarpoliticalgoalsdominatedtheirthinking.
TheyfavoredapostwarMiddleEastcomposedofvariousArabstates,
chiefdoms,orprincipalities,boundlooselytogetherundersharifian
leadership,butunderBritishcontrolexercisedlocallyandthrough
Husayn.Cairo,for itspart,intendedthesharifianarmytoassistthe
EEF toconquerSyriaandunifyitonanationalbasis,therebyplac-
ingBritainin astrongpositionfordominationoftheregionafter
thewar. AspartofthisschemeCairosoughttoundercutFrance's
claimstoportionsofSyria asdefinedintheSykes-Picotagreement
andinPicot'sMaymeetingwithHusayn."
SirMarkSykes,havingreturnedtoLondon,seemedlessworried
abouttheFrenchthanaboutworldopiniontowardtheagreement
betweenhimselfandPicotforpostwarAnglo-Frenchdomination
oftheMiddleEast.During1917,war-wearinessamongthebelli-
gerentsonbothsideshadproducedseveralproposalsforapeace
withoutannexations.SykesurgedthatBritainremainfaithfulto
theSykes-Picotarrangement,buthefailedto convinceothersin
London,includingLloydGeorge.DuringMayandJunetheprime
ministerandLordRobertCecil,theassistantforeignsecretary,