Castles Made of Sand: A Century of Anglo-American Espionage and Intervention in the Middle East
"Extensively researched—with detailed source notes and an expansive bibliography—and cogently argued, Gerolymatos's study of diplomacy by espionage is timely and instructive." - Publishers Weekly With roots in imperialism and the nineteenth-century mindset of the "Great Game," Western nations have waged an intricate spy game this past century to establish control over the Middle East, secure access to key resources and regions of commerce, and prevent the spread of Soviet communism into the region. From the Suez Canal to the former Ottoman Empire, British and American intelligence communities have conspired to topple regimes and initiate Muslim leaders as pawns in a geopolitical chess game fought against Marxist expansion. Yet while the Iron Curtain was doomed to fall near the end of the twentieth century, this pattern of tunnel vision has created a different monster. The resulting resurgence of Muslim radicalism, and the induction of Arabs and other Muslims ...