The Greater Middle East and the Cold War: US Foreign Policy Under Eisenhower and Kennedy

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At the height of the Cold War, the US sought to maintain power and influence in the Greater Middle East - the region from Morocco to India - in the context of a growing threat from Russia and the decline of British imperialism. This original and important study illuminates this tense period in international relations, offering many new insights into the global situation of the 1950s and 1960s. Roby Barrett casts fresh light on US foreign policy under Eisenhower and Kennedy, drawing on extensive research in archives and document collections from Kansas to Canberra and numerous interviews with key policy makers and observers from both the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. He explores the application of the Cold War containment policy through economic development and security assistance, highlighting the fundamental similarities between the goals and application of foreign policy in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations as well as the impact of British influence on the process. And in the process this book draws some unexpected conclusions, arguing that Eisenhower's policies were ultimately more successful than Kennedy's, and offers an important and revisionist contribution to our understanding of the Cold War and the Middle East.

Reviews

'This is a breakthrough book because of its super research. The central drama is not unlike today: a sustained crisis in the Middle East, including the violent overthrow of the Iraq Government, causes tsunami waves throughout the international political system. It is a must-read history for anyone grappling for a perspective on prospects of the Middle East and the US role there.' - Allen L. Keiswetter, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East

Author Bio

Roby C. Barrett is an Adjunct Scholar at the Middle East Institute, Washington DC and an Adjunct Professor of History at Texas A&M Commerce. He has a doctorate in Middle East and South Asian history from the University of Texas at Austin and is a former US Foreign Service Officer in the Middle East. He has been an Eisenhower-Roberts Research Fellow at the Eisenhower Institute in Washington, D.C. and a Rotary International Fellow at the University of Munich Institute for Russian Studies. He is a specialist on security and defence issues and has over twenty-five years of government, business and academic experience in the Middle East. He is the president of CCOMM Corporation, a firm specializing in national security policy and advanced defense technology applications.