Introduction
Britain, Germany, and the
Middle East, ,87'-'904
"Todefeattheenemy,"a keyBritishofficialconcludedduring1915,
inthemidstofWorldWar I,"thedestructionoftheOttomanEm-
pirewouldbe a decisive step."!HowcouldBritainbestachievethis
radicalbreak,discussedevenbeforetheworldwar,withitslongtime
foreignpolicythathadaimedatpreservingtheTurkishstate?What
wouldreplaceTurkeyasthebulwarksafeguardingBritain'sshortest
routetoIndia,theheartofBritain'svastglobalempire?
Accordingtotheofficial,Britainshould"backArabicspeaking
peoplesagainsttheTurkishGovernment,"destroytheOttoman
Empire,andcreatefromitsruinsanindependentconfederationof
pro-BritishArabstates.'A fewmonthslaterin1916,withBritain's
encouragementandmilitaryassistance,theSharifofMecca,Husayn
ibnAli,theguardianoftheholyplacesofIslam,led arevoltofArabs
intheHijaz, aregionofwesternArabia,againsttheirOttomanruler,
thesultan-caliph.
TheBritish-sponsoredArabrevolt,assistingasitdidthetriumph
ofBritainandits allies inthewarintheMiddleEasterntheater,had
avitalimpactonthefutureofthatregionandoftheIslamicworld.
Asthisstudyillustrates,importantrootsoftherevoltin1916,like
thoseofotherwartimepoliciespursuedbyBritainintheMiddleEast,
weredeeplyembeddedinBritain'sprewarantagonismtoward,and
rivalrywith,ImperialGermany.Thepolicyofwaging"warby revolu-
tion"intheMiddleEast,pursuedbybothGermanyandBritainbe-
tween 1914 and1918,haditsoriginslongbeforetheworldwar, inthe
arrivalthereofthefirstimperialpowers-BritainandFrance,and
laterGermany.
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