Cairo 1921: Ten Days that Made the Middle East

Abstract

Called by Winston Churchill in 1921, the Cairo Conference set out to redraw the map of the Middle East in the wake of the First World War and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The summit established the states of Iraq and Jordan as part of the Sherifian Solution and confirmed the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine—the future state of Israel. No other conference had such an enduring impact on the region.

In his new book, Cairo 1921 (Yale, 2022) C. Brad Faught demonstrates how the conference, although dominated by the British with limited local participation, was an ambitious, if ultimately unsuccessful, attempt to move the Middle East into the world of modern nationalism. Faught reveals that many officials, including T. E. Lawrence and Gertrude Bell, were driven by the determination for state building in the area to succeed. Their prejudices, combined with their abilities, would profoundly alter the Middle East for decades to come.

About the speaker

C. Brad Faught is professor of history and global studies at Tyndale University. He is the author of seven books, including The Oxford Movement, The New A–Z of Empire, and Kitchener: Hero and Anti-Hero.

Registration

This event will take place in-person and will not be recorded. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to register.

Chair: Narguess Farzad (SOAS)

Organiser: SOAS Middle East Institute and the Centre for Palestine Studies, SOAS

Contact email: smei@soas.ac.uk