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A Line in the Sand

Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East

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A Line in the Sand

By: James Barr
Narrated by: Peter Noble
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About this listen

 ‘The very grubby coalface of foreign policy … I found the entire book most horribly addictive’ Independent

‘One of the unexpected responses to reading this masterful study is amazement at the efforts the British and French each put into undermining the other’ Spectator

A fascinating insight into the untold story of how British-French rivalry drew the battle-lines of the modern Middle East.

In 1916, in the middle of the First World War, two men secretly agreed to divide the Middle East between them. Sir Mark Sykes was a visionary politician; François Georges-Picot a diplomat with a grudge. They drew a line in the sand from the Mediterranean to the Persian frontier, and together remade the map of the Middle East, with Britain’s 'mandates' of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq, and France's in Lebanon and Syria.

Over the next thirty years a sordid tale of violence and clandestine political manoeuvring unfolded, told here through a stellar cast of politicians, diplomats, spies and soldiers, including T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Using declassified papers from the British and French archives, James Barr vividly depicts the covert, deadly war of intrigue and espionage between Britain and France to rule the Middle East, and reveals the shocking way in which the French finally got their revenge. Europe Great Britain Middle East Politics & Government World War Royalty Africa Imperialism Military Iran England Thought-Provoking Inspiring Middle Ages Winston Churchill Espionage Crusade

Critic reviews

'With superb research and telling quotations, Barr has skewered the whole shabby story...The convulsion of that fateful line in the sand are still being felt today - not only in the Middle East, but throughout the world' (Michael Binyon)
'Racy... [Barr] is right to assert that few British readers grasp the ferocity of Anglo-French antagonism in the Levant' (Max Hastings)
'One of the unexpected responses to reading this masterful study is amazement at the efforts the British and French each put into undermining each other'
'The very grubby coalface of foreign policy...I found the entire book most horribly addictive'
'Lively and entertaining. He has scoured the diplomatic archives and has come up with a rich hail that brings his narrative to life'
'James Barr's history of imperial machinations in the Middle East offers a revelatory slant on the continuing crisis in that area... an outstanding piece of research and a damning take on what stoked current Middle Eastern woes'
'James Barr has succeeded better than any author before him in telling the fascinating story of Anglo-French rivalries in the modern Middle East... Outstanding' (Eugene Rogan, author of 'The Arabs: A History)
'The book resembles a gripping spy thriller...an expertly researched and authoritative book that is easy to read'
'Barr is particularly good at identifying and portraying officials and agents engaged in these tit-for-tat reprisals that blurred the distinction between patriotism and crime'
'Engaging and well-researched... James Barr's lively account provides some quite astounding sketches of bluster, bickering and bravado'
The struggle between Britain and France for mastery of the Middle East between 1914 and the late 1940s, is analysed by James Barr in his excellent new book. It is a complex story of intrigue and skulduggery, which Barr pieces together in a deft, well-written narrative. A journalist by profession, he manages to bring the whole subject alive through a series of well-chosen details and characters'
'History at its meticulously researched and addictive best'
All stars
Most relevant
I did not know much about this period of history and this book filled many gaps in my knowledge of the area. Well written and rather sobering on the actions of the French and Britain in the Middle East.

Narration was good.

A learning experience.

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For a long while I've wanted to read about how the current state of affairs came about in the Levant, and this book does that job well without the usual partisan take on the history of the region. James Barr seems to have a certain disdain for all the protagonists in the story rather than writing from the position of a supporter of one or other group as is often the case.

A book I've long waited for

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This book, together with Lords of the Desert, gave me a much needed understanding of the Middle East, a region that had hitherto seemed like a black box from which problems seeped or burst. The understanding lay in the details. It takes someone deeply familiar with the region and the history to give a sense of how it came about. Well worth reading.

Gave me much needed insight

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Great audiobook. As an amateur historian I highly recommend this audiobook, the narrator has done a fantastic job and the writing is of the best quality. A great adventure and story of colonial ambition that still resonates today.

Fantastic book

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i knew some of this story but not the details. i had the highlights of Lawrence of Arabia & Allenby’s entry into Jerusalem and the bombing of the King David Hotel etc. All the high (or low) points taught from the British centric point of view. However digging into the detail of just time between the late 1890’s and 1948 leaving aside the Ottoman Empire and The Crusades i don’t think any country or persons come out of this with much glory. (except Gertrude Bell but she does not figure large in this history)

well worth a listen

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