A Peace to End All Peace

I recently finished reading 'A Peace to End All Peace' by David Fromkin. This is a book I've perused from time to time but I finally finished it cover to cover.

I cannot recommend it enough if you want to understand the background of the modern Middle East. The book deals with the entrance of the Ottoman Empire into the First World War and its eventual collapse and dismantling. Titans of the 20^th century inhabit these pages... Lloyd-George, Wilson, Churchill, Ataturk, Lenin, Kitchener, Enver Pasha, Feisal, Allenby and many more.

It's a dark book full of plots, machinations, and misunderstandings. It's about evil men grasping for power, treating life as cheap and pretending the world is their personal gameboard. It's a story of empires of great hopes and devastating defeats.

I'm always struck by some of the events of this era. They are truly stranger than fiction.

Many who are esteemed come across as morally bankrupt, blind, and sometimes petty. The book is certainly a bit biased. Churchill is certainly vindicated. After 1945 he was practically a demi-god and untouchable, but before he took over from Chamberlain he was a very controversial figure. Not a few are re-assessing his legacy. While his leadership skills are undeniable, his wisdom and geopolitical morality are something else.

It's a difficult read. Even for someone familiar with history and the map, it's tough...but rewarding. If you really want to learn about the region and why Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and certainly Israel have come to be as they are...this is a good place to start.