A Line in the Sand cover art

A Line in the Sand

Britain, France and the struggle that shaped the Middle East

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A Line in the Sand

By: James Barr
Narrated by: Peter Noble
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About this listen

 ‘The very grubby coalface of foreign policy … I found the entire book most horribly addictive’ Independent

‘One of the unexpected responses to reading this masterful study is amazement at the efforts the British and French each put into undermining the other’ Spectator

A fascinating insight into the untold story of how British-French rivalry drew the battle-lines of the modern Middle East.

In 1916, in the middle of the First World War, two men secretly agreed to divide the Middle East between them. Sir Mark Sykes was a visionary politician; François Georges-Picot a diplomat with a grudge. They drew a line in the sand from the Mediterranean to the Persian frontier, and together remade the map of the Middle East, with Britain’s 'mandates' of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq, and France's in Lebanon and Syria.

Over the next thirty years a sordid tale of violence and clandestine political manoeuvring unfolded, told here through a stellar cast of politicians, diplomats, spies and soldiers, including T. E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle. Using declassified papers from the British and French archives, James Barr vividly depicts the covert, deadly war of intrigue and espionage between Britain and France to rule the Middle East, and reveals the shocking way in which the French finally got their revenge.©2011 James Barr (P)2018 Simon & Schuster, UK Europe France Great Britain Middle East Military Politics & Government War Royalty Africa Imperialism England Iran Middle Ages Espionage Winston Churchill Crusade

Critic Reviews

'With superb research and telling quotations, Barr has skewered the whole shabby story...The convulsion of that fateful line in the sand are still being felt today - not only in the Middle East, but throughout the world' (Michael Binyon)
'Racy... [Barr] is right to assert that few British readers grasp the ferocity of Anglo-French antagonism in the Levant' (Max Hastings)
All stars
Most relevant  
An excellent recap of a very important period in the history of this region. The sequence of events and content narrated was clear and to the point. The audio narration was top quality. One observation though; it was somehow too critical of the French role although it gave me personally a new insight of how the interests/actions being played among the powerful nations.

A book worth reading

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Great lesson in middle east history. I did not enjoy the narrator as it sounded like he was rushing and as if every sentence ended in an exclamation mark ie ! that style is not conducive to getting a mindful relaxing listening. I persevered as I wanted to hear the book. Might need to buy the hard copy.
I wonder if authors get to choose who they want to read their work - also who directs the narrators?

Good history lesson, bad narration

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Absolutely fascinating. Thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. A detailed account of troubles that remain to this day.

A great read through of a deeply interesting era

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really enjoyed this... nothing to detract from this fine piece of work. the narration was very good and overall certainly worth the time

outstanding piece of work well researched

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I'm a huge follower of politics and current events yet very few in the media these days analyse the events in this book in much detail. This will also appeal to those with an interest in geography and maps and why the borders in of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Turkiye, Israel, and Palestine are where they are. Great narration performance too.

A Crucial and very relevant history

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