The Twilight of the British Empire: British Intelligence and Counter-Subversion in the Middle East, 1948-63

by Chikara Hashimoto

Overview

This book reveals, for the first time, a hitherto unexplored dimension of Britain’s engagement with the post-war Middle East: the counter-subversive policies and measures conducted by the British Intelligence and Security Services and he Information Research Department (IRD) of the Foreign Office, Britain’s secret propaganda apparatus. Between 1948 and 1963, British policymakers used intelligence as a tool to maintain British influence in Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iran. Discover how Britain tried to influence regional intelligence and security services and shape their approach to countering communist subversion. However, amidst disagreements over the nature of the threat and levels of brutality used to counter it, intelligence and secret liasons ultimately failed to protect Britain’s waning influence.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781474453028
Publisher:	Edinburgh University Press
Publication date:	05/22/2019
Series:	Intelligence, Surveillance and Secret Warfare
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Chikara Hashimoto (1975–2016) was Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Sharjah, UAE. He is the author of two journal articles, published in The International History Review and Intelligence and National Security. His PhD dissertation won The British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (BRISMES) Leigh Douglas Memorial Prize for the Best PhD Dissertation on A Middle Eastern Topic for 2014.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Fighting the ‘Communist Menace’ Overseas; 2. Security Training and Liaison in Anti-Communist Measures; 3. The Defence of the Realm in the Middle East; 4. Prerequisites of Intelligence Cooperation; 5. Conflicting Interests in Anti-Communist Measures; 6. The Use and Abuse of State Power and the Limits of British Influence; Conclusion. The Twilight of the British Empire in the Middle East; Appendix.

Editorial Reviews

"The Twilight of the British Empire is an outstanding piece of historical research, reflecting Hashimoto's diligence and prowess as a scholar ... [It] has enduring relevance for more recent history, not least with the dangers of major powers viewing the complexities of regional politics through their own ideological lenses (as was often the case, for example, during the Cold War and in the post-2001 War on Terror). The Twilight of the British Empire demonstrates the ethical and political pitfalls of aligning with police states. Further, it underlines the danger of overlooking the fact that certain political beliefs, which may be anathema to Western societies, are often seen elsewhere as a means of liberation from corrupt and despotic regimes." — Geraint Hughes, King's College London, and R. Gerald Hughes, Aberystwyth University, Intelligence and National Security

From the Publisher

This book can be recommended for the light it sheds on Britain’s role in the Middle East through the prism of multilateral intelligence co-operation and counter-subversion. The author demonstrates how intelligence liaison connected and posed challenges, and the difficulties liaisons faced in trying to influence governments. [...] Scholars interested in British intelligence or international relations in the early Cold War will find this a welcome monograph.

The English Historical Review, Volume 134, Issue 570, October 2019 - Ryan Shaffer

The Twilight of the British Empire is an outstanding piece of historical research, reflecting Hashimoto’s diligence and prowess as a scholar ... [It] has enduring relevance for more recent history, not least with the dangers of major powers viewing the complexities of regional politics through their own ideological lenses (as was often the case, for example, during the Cold War and in the post-2001 War on Terror). The Twilight of the British Empire demonstrates the ethical and political pitfalls of aligning with police states. Further, it underlines the danger of overlooking the fact that certain political beliefs, which may be anathema to Western societies, are often seen elsewhere as a means of liberation from corrupt and despotic regimes.

Intelligence and National Security - Geraint Hughes