Description
"The American Century" was launched in the Middle East, as Washington took charge of managing the fallout from the creation of the state of Israel, allotting military weapons to friends, keeping the Russians out, and containing Arab nationalism. As American policy makers ponder a strategy for withdrawal from Iraq, diplomatic historian Lloyd C. Gardner uncovers the largely hidden story of how the United States got into the Middle East. A breathtaking recovery of decisions taken, brazen motives, and back room dealings, Three Kings is first history of America's efforts to supplant the British empire in the Middle East, during and following World War II. From F.D.R. to L.B.J., this is the story of America's scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on air power and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. Marshaling new evidence from the archives, Gardner weaves together three decades of U.S. moves in the region, chronicling early efforts to support and influence the Saudi regime (including the creation of Dhahran air base, the target of Osama bin Laden's first terrorist attack in 1996), the CIA-engineered coup in Iran, Nasser's Egypt, and, finally, the rise of Iraq as a major petroleum power. Here, tangled threads of oil, U.S. military might, Western commercial interests, and the Israel-Palestine question are visible from the very beginning of "The American Century"--Publisher's description.
