This important new study convincingly analyses the divergent policies behind the Anglo-American attempts to create collective defence structures in the Middle East after World War II. For the British these were part of increasingly desperate attempts to maintain their own military presence in the region, while the Americans preferred an alliance with independent partners in the region. The Suez Crisis marked the definitive failure of the British attempts, while the American attitude also allowed Turkey to become a full member of NATO rather than be part of the contested space between the superpowers that was the Middle East.
— Erik Jan Zürcher, Leiden University
This is an industrious and perceptive analysis of a formative period in the history of the modern Middle East. It casts a new light on the role of the special Anglo-American pact during the days of the Cold War.
This critical and original analysis exposes the tensions between the two allies on the one hand and provides a persuasive analysis of the failed policies toward the Arab world; a failure that triggered processes that impact the lives of millions in the region until today.
This is a history for our times: one that anyone wishes to understand the place of the Middle East in world politics must read.
— Ilan Pappe, University of Exeter
This is a work of exhaustive and meticulous scholarship. The changing relationship between a declining Britain and a rising United States is well-known. The same goes for the changing fortunes of Middle Eastern nations. But for policymakers, events were unpredictable, complex and of vital interest, all against a background of perceived Soviet threat, rising regional nationalism and important oil reserves. Turkey, a rising Western power in the Middle East, played an important part. Professor Yeşilbursa’s lucid account will be of great value to historians, but also to today’s policymakers, lest they forget that the best laid plans can go awry.
— David Logan, Birmingham University