The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement
Product ID: 59144827
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At the age of only 36, Sir Mark Sykes was signatory to the Sykes-Picot agreement, one of the most reviled treaties of modern times. A century later, Christopher Sykes’ lively biography of his grandfather reassesses his life and work, and the political instability and violence in the Middle East attributed to it. The Sykes–Picot agreement was drawn by the eponymous British and French diplomats in 1916 to determine the divide of the collapsing empire in the event of an allied victory in World War I. Excluding Arab involvement, it negated their earlier guarantee of independence made by the British – and controversy has raged around it ever since. But who was Mark Sykes? A century on, Christopher Simon Sykes reveals new facets of a misremembered diplomatic giant. Using previously undisclosed family letters and cartoons by his grandfather, he delivers a comprehensive and humbling account of the man behind one of the most impactful policies in the Middle East. Review: Arab history this century ... a must read , - Opened my eyes to the background ; which has lead to,,much of the Middle East aggravation and conflict we see today;. Review: Three Stars - poorly written book
| Best Sellers Rank | #751,250 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #219 in Turkey History (Books) #710 in Israel & Palestine History (Books) #797 in Middle Eastern Politics |
| Customer Reviews | 4.2 out of 5 stars 88 Reviews |
B**M
Arab history this century ... a must read ,
Opened my eyes to the background ; which has lead to,,much of the Middle East aggravation and conflict we see today;.
R**Y
Three Stars
poorly written book
M**E
Too much filler, not enough meat
It took 200 pages to get to the actual meat of the story. The meat was good, just not enough of it. The book dwelled too long on Mark Syke's backstory and irrelevant quotes/letters. Also, Mark Sykes was a spoiled man-child brat that, with the help of Picot, basically destroyed the Middle East out of stupidity and arrogance. This book could have been summarized in 50 pages, let alone 350...
A**Y
Boring read
Just a money grab off the back of his surname. Terrible read
C**E
Excellent read
Well written & enjoyable. This is the second book I've read by this author, The Big House by Christopher Simon Sykes is also an excellent read. If you ever get the chance to visit Sledmere House, the home of the Sykes family you're in for a treat. This is not a bland NT type house it's an interesting family home for a very interesting family.
A**R
Five Stars
A wonderful personality sketch of an unjustly maligned but very interesting individual.
A**R
The biography is about Mark Sykes, Christopher Simon Sykes' ...
The biography is about Mark Sykes, Christopher Simon Sykes' grandfather. The Sykes family own extensive lands in the East Riding of Yorkshire. The beginning of the book, describing Mark Sykes' upbringing could almost be televised as Downton Abbey with scandal. The latter part of the book deals Mark Sykes' career as an MP and his role in formulating the boundaries and spheres of influence in the Middle East. What this book lacked was a detailed family tree, and possibly maps to help with Mark Sykes' extensive travels.
G**N
Disappointing
As a student of history, I would like to know more about the division of land, the bartering of borders,etc. The knowledge of Mr. Syke's descendant doesn't seem to help.
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