Imperial Designs

From the age of Alexander the Great, waves of foreign armies have invaded the Middle East and South Asia to plunder their vast treasures. In Imperial Designs, Deepak Tripathi offers a powerful and unique analysis of how this volatile region has endured the manipulation and humiliation of such wars. He argues that these foreign invasions to gain access to others' wealth and the consequent ignominy of the defeated peoples of the Middle East and South Asia have far-reaching consequences. Over the centuries, again and again, the conquered peoples have been left helpless, their shame on display. The victims? collective frustration has strengthened their will to resist and avenge the wrongs done to them?all according to their own values and in their own time. Displaying a keen awareness of Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures, Tripathi argues that this enduring theme resonates throughout the region's history and informs the present. Referring to declassified official documents and scholarly works, Imperial Designs offers an authoritative analysis of Middle Eastern history since the First World War and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Scholars, policymakers, and concerned citizens should read this book, for it tells us how the shame of defeat radicalizes nations and societies, and often makes future conflict inevitable. AUTHOR: Deepak Tripathi is a British historian and former journalist whose long career (1974?2000) was spent primarily with the BBC, where he was a correspondent, editor, and commentator. In the early 1990s, Tripathi set up the BBC bureau in Kabul and was the resident correspondent in Afghanistan. He has also reported from Syria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and India. This is the third book in a trilogy that encompasses Overcoming the Bush Legacy in Iraq and Afghanistan (2010) and Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism (2011), both published by Potomac Books. Tripathi received his PhD from the University of Roehampton, where he is an honorary research fellow. SELLING POINTS: ?Explains how the humiliation of one group by another has far-reaching ramifications, especially in the turbulent history of Middle East ?Applies the lessons of this history of humiliation to three enduring hotbeds of volatility in international relations: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the "cold war" between Iran and the United States ?Evaluates conflicting American attitudes toward various peoples in revolt during the uprisings of the Arab Spring