Promised Lands: The British and the Ottoman Middle East by Jonathan Parry

In Promised Lands, Parry presents a fascinating, insightful, and exhaustive account of British policy regarding the Ottoman Empire during the earlier part of the nineteenth century. He provides the information necessary to understand the formation of the modern Middle East, told primarily from the British perspective. Throughout the book, Parry places the policies of the British Empire within the context of protecting the routes toward its crown jewel, its colony in India. He does so convincingly, brushing aside the general assumption of “Turcophilism” (384). As he points out, in reality, British politicians of the era, such as Richard Cobden, denounced the Turks as “crapulous barbarians” and “destructive savages” (387). Parry’s main argument revolves around the geopolitical expediency that drove the Ottoman Empire to maintain its sovereignty, while attempting to keep Russian and French interests at bay. This situation effectively ensured British influence in the region, aided by the advent...