James Barr (3) (1976–)
Author of A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle That Shaped the Middle East
About the Author
James Barr is the author of Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain's Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918. He was awarded a visiting fellowship at St Antony's College, Oxford, to conduct research for A Line in the Sand. He lives in London.
Works by James Barr
A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the Struggle That Shaped the Middle East (2011) 551 copies, 9 reviews
Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain's Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918 (2006) 189 copies, 2 reviews
Lords of the Desert: The Battle Between the United States and Great Britain for Supremacy in the Modern Middle East (2018) 182 copies, 2 reviews
Life in Gaza Today-Catalogue 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Barr, James
- Legal name
- Barr, Alexander James
- Birthdate
- 1976-02-19
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Short biography
- James Barr read Modern History at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he took a First. Since then he has worked in Westminster in politics, as a leader-writer for the Daily Telegraph, in the City and most recently in Paris. Today he lives in London.
His book on Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt, Setting the Desert on Fire, was first published in 2006.
In A Line In The Sand he picks out a key theme of that book – the rivalry between Britain and France for dominance in the Middle East – and describes how this little-known struggle transformed the Middle East, from the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War to the violent birth of the state of Israel in 1948.
During the research for this book he was a visiting fellow at St Antony's College, Oxford. Currently he is a visiting fellow at King's College London.
http://www.jamesbarr.org.uk/Author.ht...
Members
Reviews
A Line in the Sand: Britain, France and the… by James Barr
Almost a sequel to 'A line in the sand' and the power struggles involving outside powers that have pervaded the Middle East. The protagonists have changed from France and Briton to Briton and the United States, but the stakes remain high and the stories fascinating, with many unintended consequences. Barr's research is impeccable and his prose engaging. Taken together these books provide the reader with broad insight into the dynamics of colonial politics in the region, and past actions that still affect the local inhabitants to this day.… (more)
Will this lesson ever be learned???
"Years later Sir John Shaw, the former chief secretary of Palestine who survived the King David Hotel bombing, was asked to assess Britain’s record in the mandate.
‘In many cases we thought that we were doing good to the people concerned, and indeed we were,’ he said. ‘I mean we stamped out all sorts of abuses and malpractices and things but,’ he hesitated, ‘if you look at it from a purely philosophical, high-minded point of View, I think it is immoral, and I think it’s... it’s not only immoral but it’s ill-advised.’
‘Why?’ Shaw was asked.
‘Why? Well .. . because it’s not your business or my business, or British business, or [for] anybody else to interfere in other people’s countries and tell them how to run it, even to run it well. They must be left to their own salvation.’"
… (more)
"Years later Sir John Shaw, the former chief secretary of Palestine who survived the King David Hotel bombing, was asked to assess Britain’s record in the mandate.
‘In many cases we thought that we were doing good to the people concerned, and indeed we were,’ he said. ‘I mean we stamped out all sorts of abuses and malpractices and things but,’ he hesitated, ‘if you look at it from a purely philosophical, high-minded point of View, I think it is immoral, and I think it’s... it’s not only immoral but it’s ill-advised.’
‘Why?’ Shaw was asked.
‘Why? Well .. . because it’s not your business or my business, or British business, or [for] anybody else to interfere in other people’s countries and tell them how to run it, even to run it well. They must be left to their own salvation.’"
… (more)
Setting the Desert on Fire is a detailed account of the actions of the British military in the middle east during WW1. Of course these events involved T.E. Lawrence. The book does drone on with lots of detailed military actions, both on the field and in impromptu meetings in tents, war rooms and the backs of camels. In a nutshell the British Government used Lawrence to grease the palms of Tribes, unite them (loosely) and recruit them as guerilla fighters against the Ottomans. The author is thorough and vivid, giving the reader not only a taste of the boredom that comes along with decision making, but the grit in the sand and the smell of camels. The author succeeds in this book by showing the reader all sides of the vents without being biased. It is easy to see the greed and inherent human nature on all fronts. Lawrence is extravagant and thoughtful and you would expect.… (more)
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Statistics
- Works
- 5
- Members
- 928
- Popularity
- #27,659
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 13
- ISBNs
- 92
- Languages
- 4
