British intelligence and Arab nationalism: the origins of the modern Middle East

Abstract

This paper offers a re-examination of Anglo-Arab relations during the First World War as a means of explaining the origins of nationalist violence during 1919-21. During the war, British intelligence officers were charged with implementing British policies. Britain’s Arab policy was a strategy aimed to help defeat the Ottoman Empire and Germany. Since the outbreak of the war, prominent nationalists and Islamists – all members of secret societies – were rebuffed after attempting to persuade British officers to support Arab independence. An Anglo-Arab alliance was only welcomed by Britain after the Ottoman threat to Suez dissipated, and a defector gave new confirmation as to the existence of Arab nationalist secret societies. British intelligence officers failed to understand the nature of the Arab nationalist movement. Arab nationalists exaggerated their unity and capabilities. Britain’s alliance with the Hashemites mitigated some of these problems, but created new unseen ones.