The Middle East is a unique geopolitical area, separated by mountain ranges, seas, and harsh deserts from the rest of the world. This separation provides the area with a remarkably cohesive cultural and political base. Since the British launched their subjugation of Iraq in 1914, the Middle East has experienced almost constant warfare, often with the outcome of one conflict influencing the next—a trend that continues to this day, along with a long-standing tradition of Western powers trying (and often failing) to chart the region’s political and ideological paths. Curtis F. Jones, a veteran of the US State Department, spent most of his career analyzing Middle East politics in the region and in Washington. In The Wars of the Middle Eastern Succession: 1914–2016, Jones provides a comprehensive overview of eighteen wars fought in the Middle East in the last century, some of which are still being fought today. Combining clarity and objectivity with a thorough knowledge of his subject matter, Jones makes a professional appraisal of American involvement in the Middle East and how the region’s unique political, ethnic, and cultural makeup should shape foreign policy. Read Less