Like Hidden Fire
Just finished Like Hidden Fire: The Secret Plot to Bring Down the British Empire, by Peter Hopkirk. Hopkirk specializes in the history and politics of Central Asia during the 19th and early 20th centuries and practically everything he's written is worth a look. Like Hidden Fire takes place during World War I and describes the efforts of German and Turkish agents to foment a jihad against the British and threaten their prized imperial possession, India (which at that time also included the heavily-Muslim territory that is now Pakistan and Bangladesh). The plots and counterplots take place from Constantinople to Baku in Azerbaijan to the royal courts of Persia and Afghanistan. The incidents are fascinating and the characters come right out of Indiana Jones.
The 1910-1925 era in Middle Eastern politics, also covered in David Fromkin’s outstanding and essential history, A Peace to End All Peace, laid the groundwork for most of the problems that still plague the region today. History shows that double-dealing and imperial designs over the oil fields of Mosul and Basra are nothing new, and that the consequences of Western tampering in that part of the world are always more troublesome and more expensive than anyone could predict.
In lieu of campaign contributions, perhaps some good soul could send copies of these books to the bright bulbs in the Bush administration who came up with the idea of inviting Turkish troops into Northern Iraq. We should have send flowers and candy to Ankara when the Turkish parliament voted down the request in April. But instead, we kept the pressure on until they announced their intentions to “help” last month, to the unanimous horror of all interested parties with the slightest knowledge of history and geography. Fortunately, it seems they are about to reconsider.
The point here is that we are sure to make our share of mistakes in Iraq, but there is no need to make obvious and unnecessary ones. Good information about the region and the public record of prior Western experience there is readily available. Considering the lives, money and future that’s at stake, is it possible to at least hope for a policy that is informed by the most basic facts?
12:38:57 PM 
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