|
|
 Book Info |  | | 
enlarge picture
| Guardians of the Gulf: A History of America's Expanding Role in the Persion Gulf, 1883-1992 | | | Author: | Michal A. Palmer | | ISBN: | 0684871068 | | Format: | Handover | | Publish Date: | June, 2005 | | |  |  |  | | | | | | | Book Review | | | |
From Publishers Weekly
In an enlightening analysis, Palmer maintains that the Gulf war must be accounted a great victory: "Routing such a large army while taking so few friendly casualties was an incredible achievement." It accomplished the limited goals set by the Bush administration, but also reflected Washington's traditional reluctance to risk deeper political and military involvement in the region. Palmer, who teaches history at East Carolina University, argues convincingly that Operation Desert Storm was the culmination of a process that began when the British made themselves protectors of the Persian Gulf two centuries ago. Describing how WW II highlighted the growing importance of petroleum to the West and exposed Britain's strategic weakness, he explains how the United States replaced that nation commercially, economically and militarily in the area. Palmer's description of Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm is the most succinct and clarifying yet published. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Although the Persian Gulf was rediscovered in recent times--first with the Iran hostage crisis and then with the war for Kuwait--U.S. involvement in the region dates back to the 1830s when commercial contacts were established with Omani seafarers. Since then, Washington assumed increasingly large security responsibilities for the area as Britain's presence waned. Palmer meticulously traces this relationship, describing how U.S. reluctance to commit its military resources to defend commercial interests led the United States to support the Shah of Iran and later to the Reagan administration's contradictory policies, in which Washington condemned Iran for its support of terrorism while authorizing the sale of advanced weapons systems, all for strategic reasons. That the United States failed to realize what price it had to pay for this policy was apparent only in the late 1970s when President Carter assumed the burden--through his 1980 doctrine--for our long-term involvement in the area, a development likely to spread well into the next century. A highly recommended volume for its erudition and cogency.- Joseph A. Kechichian, Rand Corp., Santa Monica, Cal.Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Guardians of the Gulf: A History of America's Expanding Role in the Persion Gulf, 1883-1992 FROM THE PUBLISHER The East's riches and untapped markets in the late eighteenth and nineteenth century, and its strategic and geopolitical assets in the twentieth century, have continually attracted American interest and investment to the countries of the Persian Gulf. Describing a complex two-century-old relationship, Michael Palmer tells the illuminating story of our nation's steadily escalating involvement in the region despite our ongoing resistance to active guardianship of its stability and security. Initially, American commercial activity basked in the protection of British military prowess. But as Yankee merchants successfully displaced the declining empire's influence, the United States was forced to assume increased responsibility for the volatile nations of the gulf. Relying heavily on the Shah as a surrogate police power in the ensuing decades, we actively intervened in Iranian politics to sustain his rule. The United States was finally compelled to assume the mantle of guardianship, which we had long avoided, when he fell from power in 1979. Today, our military presence ensures the continued existence of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. Tracing the trajectory of American influence and engagement in the Persian Gulf, Palmer reveals the recent war with Iraq to have been a logical culmination of our past history. The limited objectives sought reflected our traditional reluctance to be militarily engaged in foreign lands and to incur postwar commitments. The gross over-estimation of Iraqi capability by President Bush and Generals Powell and Schwarzkopf continued a long-standing misperception of the realities of the gulf countries and their military and political potential. Exploring the issues raised by our presence in the Persian Gulf and our role as protector of this unstable region, Palmer reveals American ambivalence toward the responsibilities, risks, and costs of guardianship. His historical analysis provides an essential primer for ou
| |
|
Art & Photography