Enemy on the Euphrates - by Ian Rutledge (Paperback)

About the Book

A gripping and fascinating account of the most serious armed uprising against British rule in the twentieth century

Book Synopsis

"Material with acute relevance to the crisis now tearing Iraq to pieces"--Independent

"Rutledge's account displays a novelist's taste for intrigue, espionage, gunboat diplomacy, personal hardship and murder."--BBC History Magazine

"[A] rare treasure that combines a fascinating account of important historical events with penetrating geopolitical analysis"--Professor Michael Klare, Hampshire College, Amherst

In 1920 an Arab revolt came perilously close to inflicting a shattering defeat upon the British Empire's forces occupying Iraq after the Great War. A huge peasant army besieged British garrisons and bombarded them with captured artillery. British columns and armoured trains were ambushed and destroyed, and gunboats were captured or sunk. Britain's quest for oil was one of the principal reasons for its continuing occupation of Iraq. However, with around 131,000 Arabs in arms at the height of the conflict, the British were very nearly driven out. Only a massive infusion of Indian troops prevented a humiliating rout.

Enemy on the Euphrates is the definitive account of the most serious armed uprising against British rule in the twentieth century. Bringing central players such as Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell vividly to life, Ian Rutledge's masterful account is a powerful reminder of how Britain's imperial objectives sowed the seeds of Iraq's tragic history.

Ian Rutledge is Research Director of the Sheffield Energy Resources Information Services. A graduate of the University of Cambridge where he received his PhD in Economic History, he has taught at the universities of London and Sheffield. His other publications include Addicted to Oil: America's Relentless Drive for Energy Security.

Review Quotes

Advance Praise

'Enemy on the Euphrates is that rare treasure that combines a fascinating account of important historical events with penetrating geopolitical analysis. Anyone seeking an understanding of the role of oil in shaping modern Middle Eastern history will want to read this book.'
-- Michael Klare, author of The Race for What's Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources

'A lively and well-researched account of the events leading up to the Iraqi 'revolution' of 1920, using a number of hitherto unused British and Arabic sources. The leading Arab and British personalities are well-drawn, and the narrow moral universe of the British administrators is especially well portrayed. The description of the military campaign is masterful, and the narrative of the campaign maintains a high level of suspense.'
-- Peter Sluglett, author of Britain in Iraq: Contriving King and Country

'Ian Rutledge's brilliant book reveals the folly and delusion of invading Iraq. Read it and shudder'
-- Nicholas Rankin, author of Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914-1945

'Fascinating, lively and very readable ... This gripping narrative brings to life the human side of these violent events and of the developments that preceded them through some vivid descriptions and highly relevant anecdotes'
Charles Tripp, author of The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East

Reviews

'By chance, economist Ian Rutledge has just published an account of the battle for Mosul and oil during and after the First World War ... material with acute relevance to the crisis now tearing Iraq to pieces' -- Robert Fisk, Independent

'Readers will find plenty of food for thought in Ian Rutledge's well-crafted and lively account ... This timely book delves into the early, troubled history of British controlled Iraq ... While offering abundant detail on military operations, lines of communications and warfare tactics, Enemy on the Euphrates also makes for a very lively and human-centred read of imperial history. Populated by a remarkable crowd of spies, diplomats, soldiers, clerics and tribal leaders, Rutledge's account displays a novelist's taste for intrigue, espionage, gunboat diplomacy, personal hardship and murder.' -- BBC History Magazine

'Rutledge does an excellent job of conveying the logistical difficulties confronting any military leadership, let alone one operating thousands of miles from home and in physically challenging and hostile enemy territory ... deserving of a wide readership' -- Middle East Journal

'An excellently produced book that admirably succeeds in illuminating an important episode in British imperial history' -- History Today

'Compelling, rich with such colorful personalities as Winston Churchill, Gertrude Bell and T. E. Lawrence' -- Saudi Aramco World

'Well-researched, well-written and very useful contribution to the understanding of modern Iraq' -- Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online

'As the legions of ISIS set up their proto-Caliphate in Iraq, the word 'prescience' comes forcibly to mind' -- The Oldie

'Timely and rich in detail ... highly readable, lively and dramatic. [Rutledge] presents fascinating accounts of the main British and Iraqi personalities involved in the narrative' --al-Hayat

'A timely reminder of how we got here ... an important book' -- The National

'Thought provoking ... I like to think this book might find a place on the shelves of the libraries of the RUSI, Sandhurst or West Point' -- War History Online

'Much of Enemy on the Euphrates reads like a great adventure story ... Rutledge's narrative is highly visual, transporting the reader from the battlefield to Baghdad, villages along the Euphrates, and conference rooms in London and Cairo where diplomats, politicians, military commanders and intelligence officers debate various models for controlling the region ... a rare combination of in-depth information, fairness of analysis and readability, reinforced by excellent maps.' -- Jordan Times

'Eye-opening, fascinating and brilliantly-written ... Excellent' -- The Long, Long Trail: The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918

'Exhaustive and very readable ... [Rutledge] succeeds in imparting an understanding of why relations between the Arabs and the West remain fraught to this day' -- Asian Review of Books

Advance Praise

'Enemy on the Euphrates is that rare treasure that combines a fascinating account of important historical events with penetrating geopolitical analysis. Anyone seeking an understanding of the role of oil in shaping modern Middle Eastern history will want to read this book.'
-- Michael Klare, author of The Race for What's Left: The Global Scramble for the World's Last Resources

'A lively and well-researched account of the events leading up to the Iraqi 'revolution' of 1920, using a number of hitherto unused British and Arabic sources. The leading Arab and British personalities are well-drawn, and the narrow moral universe of the British administrators is especially well portrayed. The description of the military campaign is masterful, and the narrative of the campaign maintains a high level of suspense.'
-- Peter Sluglett, author of Britain in Iraq: Contriving King and Country

'Ian Rutledge's brilliant book reveals the folly and delusion of invading Iraq. Read it and shudder'
-- Nicholas Rankin, author of Churchill's Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914-1945

'Fascinating, lively and very readable ... This gripping narrative brings to life the human side of these violent events and of the developments that preceded them through some vivid descriptions and highly relevant anecdotes'
Charles Tripp, author of The Power and the People: Paths of Resistance in the Middle East

Reviews

'By chance, economist Ian Rutledge has just published an account of the battle for Mosul and oil during and after the First World War ... material with acute relevance to the crisis now tearing Iraq to pieces' -- Robert Fisk, Independent

'Readers will find plenty of food for thought in Ian Rutledge's well-crafted and lively account ... This timely book delves into the early, troubled history of British controlled Iraq ... While offering abundant detail on military operations, lines of communications and warfare tactics, Enemy on the Euphrates also makes for a very lively and human-centred read of imperial history. Populated by a remarkable crowd of spies, diplomats, soldiers, clerics and tribal leaders, Rutledge's account displays a novelist's taste for intrigue, espionage, gunboat diplomacy, personal hardship and murder.' -- BBC History Magazine

'Rutledge does an excellent job of conveying the logistical difficulties confronting any military leadership, let alone one operating thousands of miles from home and in physically challenging and hostile enemy territory ... deserving of a wide readership' -- Middle East Journal

'An excellently produced book that admirably succeeds in illuminating an important episode in British imperial history' -- History Today

'Compelling, rich with such colorful personalities as Winston Churchill, Gertrude Bell and T. E. Lawrence' -- Saudi Aramco World

'Well-researched, well-written and very useful contribution to the understanding of modern Iraq' -- Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online

'As the legions of ISIS set up their proto-Caliphate in Iraq, the word 'prescience' comes forcibly to mind' -- The Oldie

'Timely and rich in detail ... highly readable, lively and dramatic. [Rutledge] presents fascinating accounts of the main British and Iraqi personalities involved in the narrative' --al-Hayat

'A timely reminder of how we got here ... an important book' -- The National

'Thought provoking ... I like to think this book might find a place on the shelves of the libraries of the RUSI, Sandhurst or West Point' -- War History Online

'Much of Enemy on the Euphrates reads like a great adventure story ... Rutledge's narrative is highly visual, transporting the reader from the battlefield to Baghdad, villages along the Euphrates, and conference rooms in London and Cairo where diplomats, politicians, military commanders and intelligence officers debate various models for controlling the region ... a rare combination of in-depth information, fairness of analysis and readability, reinforced by excellent maps.' -- Jordan Times

'Eye-opening, fascinating and brilliantly-written ... Excellent' -- The Long, Long Trail: The British Army in the Great War of 1914-1918

'Exhaustive and very readable ... [Rutledge] succeeds in imparting an understanding of why relations between the Arabs and the West remain fraught to this day' -- Asian Review of Books

About the Author

Ian Rutledge is an economist and historian. A graduate of the University of Cambridge where he received his PhD in Economic History, Rutledge is Research Director and co-founder of the Sheffield Energy Resources Information Services. He has taught at the Universities of London and Sheffield and for the Workers' Educational Association. His other publications include Addicted to Oil: America's Relentless Drive for Energy Security. He lives in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.