London-Portlend: Frank Cass. 1999. XVI, 342 p.* (c) 2002 In world history, there are events that are called fateful and that therefore arouse the constant interest of both contemporaries and subsequent generations. To them, be- * Fisher J. Curzon and British Imperialism in the Middle East. 1916-1919. London-Portland: Frank Cass, 1999. XVI, 342 p. page 191 This is true of the First World War, which largely determined the development of mankind in the XX century, including the entire Middle East region, because it led to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, which formally or actually included all the countries of the Arab East. Instead of the Turkish flag, the English flag flew over Egypt, the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and the Gulf Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. So the British protectorate over these countries, which practically existed before the war, was legally formed. On behalf of the League of Nations, British rule was established over Iraq, Palestine, and Transjordan in the form of mandatory regimes, later replaced by enslaving treaties, and French rule was established over Syria and Lebanon. Most of Arabia and Yemen gained independence after the war. Thus, the political geography of the Asian part of the Ottoman Empire underwent fundamental changes and acquired a mostly modern look (from the point of view of the configuration of borders, and not in essence). This was due to the interaction and mutual collision of various factors and interests-military, political, diplomatic, social, etc., the study of which is of considerable cognitive interest. In historical science, including Russian 1, this issue is covered quite fully. However, as the book of the English historian J. Fisher shows, it is premature to close the topic. And it's not just that the author introduces a new body of facts based on a thorough study of the funds of the personal origin of the main figures in British foreign and colonial policy of the First World War era. Fischer's main contribution to the study ... Read more