The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement
Written by Christopher Simon Sykes
Narrated by Mike Grady
4/5
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About this audiobook
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.
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Reviews for The Man Who Created the Middle East
37 ratings6 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Splendid and insightful. Repudiation of a man that has been blamed unjustly for the state of the middle east.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is an excellent book and very funny. Highly recommended
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good read with funny anecdotes. Left wanting more on the details of the Sykes-Picot agreement.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The detailed narrative about Mark’s Hykes
that led him to understand the different points of view, the religious, social, cultural and economic views and hopes of all the people living in the region., and the ability of the author to transmit them in an easy, understandable and enjoyable manner, as well as the conflicting, unsurmountable problems that are part of everyday conflicts in the Middle East.
How much does the world need a Mr. Hykes of his later stage, 1918, NOT 1916, which was still colonialist and abusive,
mediate, negotiate and make agreeements based on his approach of first knowing and study thorughly , in the field all the needs and ways of each party and then make thoughtful proposals based on the rights of all for independence, freedom, democracy and justice. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved reading this outstanding piece of history.
The author has meticulously recorded and elegantly presented the events. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Slightly disappointing biography of Sir Mark Sykes by his grandson. Sykes is a child of the British aristocratic class of his time: arrogant, bombastic, self-righteous. Nevertheless, the effects of his work can still be felt today and that is why this biography is worth reading. Moreover, it reads easily.