Synopses & Reviews
In an account of the U.S. role in the Middle East,
Three Kings is an erudite, persuasively argued, and lucid” (
Publishers Weekly) narrative of Americas deep and tangled relationships in the region.
Three Kings reveals a story of Americas scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on airpower and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. Deftly weaving together three decades of U.S. moves in the region, Lloyd Gardner delves into early American efforts to support the influence the Saudi regime (including the creation of Dhahran air base, the target of Osama bin Ladens first terrorist attack in 1996); the CIA-engineered coup in Iran; Nassers Egypt; and, finally, the rise of Iraq as a major petroleum power.
As American policy makers and military planners grapple with a radically new and rapidly shifting political landscape in this vital region, Gardner uncovers valuable new factual evidence
ably guid[ing] the reader through the perilous chess game that has played out in the region since World War II” (Kirkus Reviews).
Review
Uncovering valuable new factual evidence, Gardner ably guides the reader through the perilous chess game that has played out in the region since World War II.
—Kirkus
Review
Anyone who wants to understand the roots of U.S. Cold War foreign policy and our current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan should begin with this fine book.”
—Christian G. Appy, author of Patriots
Devastatingly effective.”
—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The Limits of Power
Synopsis
Three Kings is a magisterial portrait of Americas ascent in the Middle East during and following World War II. The book reveals a story of Americas scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on airpower and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. Marshaling new and revelatory evidence from the archives, Lloyd Gardner deftly weaves together three decades of U.S. moves in the region to offer the first history of Americas efforts to supplant the British Empire in the Middle East.
Synopsis
In an account that
Publishers Weekly calls erudite, persuasively argued, and lucid,” one of our preeminent diplomatic historians draws a magisterial portrait of Americas ascent in the Middle East during and following World War II.
From F.D.R. to L.B.J., Three Kings reveals a story of Americas scramble for political influence, oil concessions, and a new military presence based on airpower and generous American aid to shaky regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, and Iraq. Marshaling new and revelatory evidence from the archives, Lloyd Gardner deftly weaves together three decades of U.S. moves in the region to offer the first history of Americas efforts to supplant the British empire in the Middle East. From the early efforts to support and influence the Saudi regime (including the creation of Dhahran airbase, the target of Osama bin Ladens first terrorist attack in 1996) and the CIA-engineered coup in Iran to Nassers Egypt and, finally, the rise of Iraq as a major petroleum power, Three Kings is a valuable contribution to our understanding of our still-deepening involvement in this region” (Booklist).
As American policy makers and military planners grapple with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, Gardner uncovers the largely hidden story of how the United States got into the Middle East in the first place.
About the Author
Lloyd C. Gardner is the Charles and Mary Beard Professor of History at Rutgers University and the author or editor of more than a dozen books, including The Long Road to Baghdad. He lives in Newtown, Pennsylvania.