Imperial Crossroads: The Great Powers and the Persian Gulf, edited by Jeffrey R. Macris and Saul Kelly

So, today I finally got this book, which had taken a rather circuitous way to get to me, having been sent to Thailand just before I had to leave Thailand and only now arriving to me in the United States. And this is a book I have really been looking forward to read. Just from flipping through the pages, this relatively short (184 pages of text) collection of essays is full of intriguing information going all the way back to the Portuguese and Dutch efforts to control the Persian Gulf and extending past the British and Americans (several essays on each) to the modern efforts by India and China to flex their muscle in the Persian Gulf.

As someone whose interests in the Persian Gulf include its massive importance as a “gate,” the potential for conflict between Iran and other nations, the fact that a majority of the world’s oil goes through the choke point of the Strait of Hormuz, and that its geographical significance has been recognized for many centuries. I would have enjoyed it if there were essays going back to the early trading between Sumer and the Indus River valley civilizations (where Bahrain was even then recognized as a notable trading entrepot), but it does not go back quite that far. As it is, the book looks like a fascinating examination of the immense strategic importance of the Persian Gulf and its lure to empires who seek to protect their economic interests and project their power into vital choke points of trade.

So, I look forward to reading and reviewing this book for the Naval Historical Institute, as it looks to be the third book I will have reviewed for them [1] [2]. Hopefully this book is an enjoyable as the other two to read. If anyone wants specific comments about this book because of their own interests in history or geopolitics, feel free to shoot me a message or reply, and I will give such information as I am able to do. In the meantime, I have some reading to do.

[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/08/15/a-non-book-review-kaigun/

[2] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/non-book-review-admiral-insubordinate/