Intrigue and War in Southwest Asia: The Struggle for Supremacy from Central Asia to Iraq

(Hardback)

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The "great game" of rivalry and intrigue between the great powers in Southwest Asia and between the regional powers themselves is explored in Miron Rezun's comprehensive history of the region. The author traces the involvement of the Soviet Union, Britain, Germany, and the United States in the game of influence in the region, giving an account of what happens behind the scenes in diplomatic circles, behind closed doors, and the characteristics of the power struggle between the charismatic or despotic leaders, foreign intervention, and the oppressed citizenry. The story touches on current concerns such as the international arms trade, fervent nationalism and the subterfuge, greed, and ambition that emerge when ego and money are at stake. This examination of events in Iran and Iraq, the rebellion of the Kurds, and movements in Afghanistan and Azerbaijan, revolves around nationalistic aspirations of a fanatical kind. Ultimately the book seeks to explain the causes of war in the region. The book begins with a brief yet thorough history of the Southwest Asia region, from the time of Tsar Peter through the Persian Gulf War. Chapter 2 describes an early nationalist rebellion in Turkestan and its ultimate defeat by Russia, and uses this early rebellion as a model for the Soviet Union's thinking towards the region. Chapter 3 is a detailed history of the struggle in Afghanistan. Chapter 4 looks at the turbulent history of Iran, linking Iran's behaviour to the history of the entire region. Chapter 5 focuses on Central Asia and Azerbaijan. The infleunce of "great game" thinking in the current movement of pan-Arabism and the New Babylon is discussed in Chapter 6, while the next chapter examines Iraq and Saddam Hussein, the Persian Gulf War and its aftermath.

Reviews

This book is a must for area specialists and those interested in Southwest Asia. Intelligence personnel will find the historical summations useful. Long-range planners and strategists should examine the foreign assessments of U.S. military interventions in the region.-Military Intelligence
"This book is a must for area specialists and those interested in Southwest Asia. Intelligence personnel will find the historical summations useful. Long-range planners and strategists should examine the foreign assessments of U.S. military interventions in the region."-Military Intelligence

Author Bio

MIRON REZUN is a Professor of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick, Canada. He has published many books and articles about the Soviet Union and the Middle East. Current topics include nationalism in Central Asia and Azerbaijan, and a controversial study of Saddam Hussein, the Persian Gulf War, and U.S. policies in the Middle East.