A new history of the long-overlooked WWII theater in Iran and Iraq, its unrecognized significance, and its impact on society and politics
This dynamic history is the first to construct a total picture of the experience and impact of World War II in Iran and Iraq. Contending that these two countries were more important to the Allied forces' war operations than has ever been acknowledged, historian Ashley Jackson investigates the grand strategy of the Allies and their operations in the region and the continuing legacy of Western intervention in the Middle East.
Iran and Iraq served as the first WWII theater in which the US, the UK, and the USSR fought alongside each other. Jackson charts the intense Allied military activity in Iran and Iraq and reveals how deeply the war impacted common people's lives. He also provides revelations about the true nature of Anglo-American relations in the region, the beginnings of the Cold War, and the continuing corrosive legacy of Western influence in these lands.
About the Author :
Ashley Jackson is professor of imperial and military history at King's College London and a visiting fellow at Kellogg College, Oxford. He studied for postgraduate degrees at New College, Oxford, and spent eight years as a research fellow at Mansfield College, Oxford and a year as a lecturer at Oxford Brookes University. Steven Crossley is one of a select group of narrators who have recorded over two hundred audiobooks. He has won multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, including for The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie and Sharpe's Fury by Bernard Cornwell. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has established an acting career on both sides of the Atlantic in theater, television, film, and radio drama, performing with distinguished theater companies in New York and London. He is a member of the internationally acclaimed company Complicite. His audiobook performances cover an eclectic range of subjects in both fiction and nonfiction, from thrillers, mysteries, classics, and histories to children's fantasy and biographies.These include works by such writers as Pat Barker, Joseph Conrad, Oscar Wilde, Sebastian Faulkes, Zadie Smith, Ian McKewan, and Tana French.
Review :
"Assiduously researched and sensitively written, Persian Gulf Command offers us a fascinating new perspective on the Second World War--its impact on local societies in the Middle East and the paths to post-war intervention by the West."
-- "Richard J. Aldrich, author of The Black Door"
"In this lucid work, filled with telling details and well-crafted arguments, Jackson has finally revealed the undoubted significance of Iran and Iraq to the wider war."
-- "Niall Barr, author of Eisenhower's Armies"
"Narrator Steven Crossley's clear voice and impeccable enunciation are a most suitable match to Jackson's well-written account...Crossley really is the consummate professional in general, and with this work in particular. His accent, inflection, enunciation, and overall expression are virtually flawless. He makes it all seem so easy and makes it a joy to listen to this long work."
-- "AudioFile"
"Splendid...Ashley Jackson skillfully brings together the complex range of developments that took place in Iraq and Iran during the Second World War. His book combines thorough research, lucid analysis and colorful description."
-- "Evan Mawdsley, author of December 1941"
