Before we dig into the 1956 dust up that bears its name, the first thing I guess we should talk about is why the Suez Canal was so important. Though to be honest, that almost goes without saying. I mean, in a world where sailing direct from Europe to the Indian Ocean had previously required … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Suez Crisis begins (1956)
Tag: history
Today in North African history: the Battle of Tangier ends (1437)
Prince Henry the Navigator (d. 1460) is one of those Portuguese guys you spend a few minutes on in high school history class in the US at the start of the Age of Discovery unit, in the rush to get to Columbus. But he’s a much more consequential figure than generally regarded. The explorations Henry … Continue reading Today in North African history: the Battle of Tangier ends (1437)
Culture and Politics in Tokugawa Japan, Part 1: Country in Chains
We've got a new guest post today from writer Carson Rogers. I love Japanese history but know very little about it. Luckily Carson does, and today he begins what looks like a two-part series on the politics and culture of the Edo/Tokugawa period. Today's installment looks at the political structure of that period and how … Continue reading Culture and Politics in Tokugawa Japan, Part 1: Country in Chains
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Capture of Damascus (1918)
The Egyptian Expeditionary Force’s capture of Damascus in early October, 1918, marks the end of World War I in the Middle East. Some scattered fighting continued around Aleppo, but it took only two weeks after losing Damascus for the Ottoman Empire to undergo a complete political upheaval and reach out to the British government to … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Capture of Damascus (1918)
Bed, Ba’ath, and Beyond, part 1: Saddam’s Shopping Extravaganza
Hello readers! Today I'm very pleased to bring you the second attwiw guest post! Arms proliferation researcher Travis Haycraft joins us for the first part of a two-parter (coming next month) on Iraq. Part one looks at the Saddam Hussein-organized build up of the Iraqi military in the 1970s, leading up to the Iran-Iraq War. … Continue reading Bed, Ba’ath, and Beyond, part 1: Saddam’s Shopping Extravaganza
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Camp David Accords (1978)
A few days ago we passed the anniversary of the Oslo I Accord, US President Bill Clinton’s attempt to foster a durable Israeli-Palestinian peace accord that turned out instead to be a lopsided, unworkable framework that’s fostered nothing but many years of failure and frustration. Today we mark the anniversary of Oslo’s closest antecedent, the … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Camp David Accords (1978)
Using Middle Eastern Christians for Imperial Aims
I'm very excited to bring you our first attwiw guest post! Georgetown University's Joshua Mugler looks at the Trump administration's "defense"of Middle Eastern Christians and places them in the context of similar--and generally cynical--past claims. If you would like to pitch something for attwiw, please email me. And if you enjoy this content, please consider … Continue reading Using Middle Eastern Christians for Imperial Aims
Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Arsuf (1191)
As we’ve noted elsewhere, the Third Crusade is harder to assess than most of the other Crusades. The First Crusade was a pretty clear success. The Second Crusade was an unmitigated failure. The Fourth Crusade was completely absurd. And so forth. But the outcome of the Third Crusade is mixed. On the one hand, the … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the Battle of Arsuf (1191)
Today in Middle Eastern history: the 1953 Iranian coup
The 1953 CIA- and MI6-backed coup that overthrew Mohammad Mosaddegh is one of the few bits of Middle Eastern history that actually gets overemphasized in the popular consciousness, mostly because relations between the US and Iran are what they are. It’s also not an easy fit in this “today in history” series because, believe it or … Continue reading Today in Middle Eastern history: the 1953 Iranian coup
The Rihlah: Ibn Battuta’s 1325, part 3 (subscriber post)
I've been continuing to track Ibn Battuta's journey across North Africa on Twitter, Facebook, and at TheRihlah.com. Today we brought him as far as Alexandria, ready to enter the Mamluk Sultanate and begin the next part of his expedition: Last time we saw Ibn Battuta through the Kingdom of Tlemcen, which at the time was … Continue reading The Rihlah: Ibn Battuta’s 1325, part 3 (subscriber post)
The Foreign Exchanges Companion 