America's Arab Nationalists: From the Ottoman Revolution to the Rise of Hitler PDF
Preview America's Arab Nationalists: From the Ottoman Revolution to the Rise of Hitler
Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern History AMERICA’S ARAB NATIONALISTS FROM THE OTTOMAN REVOLUTION TO THE RISE OF HITLER Aaron Berman “Aaron Berman has written an indispensable history that narrates not just the US encounter with Arab nationalism, but of the role of Arab-Americans in the rise of Arab nationalism itself, including the early confrontations with the Zionist movement in the US. The history is revealed through the gripping stories of its key interlocutors such as Abraham Rihbany, Amin Rihani, Elizabeth Titzel, Howard Bliss, and many others. Berman’s beautifully written book takes the reader on a fascinating journey from places such as Amherst College in the US to the Syrian Protestant College in Beirut and back, passing through decisive moments such as the trials of Faisal in the Paris Conference. Berman’s book is a highly entertaining page turner, accessible to a public audience but also a must-read for scholars and students of both Middle East and American studies.” Omar Dahi, Professor of Economics at Hampshire College, co-author of South-South Trade and Finance in the 21st Century: Rise of the South or a Second Great Divergence “Berman’s careful analysis of American understandings of Arab nation- alism is depicted through the words and actions of missionaries, philan- thropists and Arab-American activists. In particular it illuminates the racism that distorted the world views of Americans and that Arab and Arab-American activists turned to their advantage. By consciously playing to Orientalist notions of the exotic, key actors in the United States and the Arabic-speaking world hoped to attract American interest to and sympathy with Arab nationalism.” Mary Wilson, Professor Emerita of History, University of Masschusetts, Amherst, author of King Abdullah, Britain and the Making of Jordan “America’s Arab Nationalists is a beautifully written study of Americans who, in the first three decades of the twentieth century, became Arab nationalists or key allies of Arab nationalism, and played a significant role in shaping its early ideology and policies. This book’s American protagonists came from different backgrounds and advocated different kinds of Arab nationalism, yet all saw early Arab nationalism as expressing their own American values, envisioning the United States as the midwife of a new Arab nation. Tracing their careers, Berman’s important book spins an engrossing saga which begins in the wake of the Young Turk Revolution, gathers steam during the Great War and the Arab Revolt, swells in the Wilsonian moment, only to be frustrated by the installment of the Mandate system. This is an original study of a bygone era, in which American views on Arab nationalism were not dominated by the questions of Zionism and Palestine. By engaging America’s Arab nationalists in their own terms and historical context, Berman sheds a critical light on our present day. Highly recommended to all students of Arab nationalism, the modern Middle East, and America’s role in these crucial issues.” Adi Gordon, Associate Professor of History, Amherst College, author of Towards Nationalism’s End: An Intellectual Biography of Hans Kohn America’s Arab Nationalists America’s Arab Nationalists focuses in on the relationship between Arab nationalists and Americans in the struggle for independence in an era when idealistic Americans could see the Arab nationalist struggle as an expression of their own values. In the first three decades of the twentieth century (from the 1908 Ottoman Revolution to the rise of Hitler), important and influential Americans, including members of the small Arab-American community, participated intellectually, politically and financially in the construction of Arab nationalism. This book tells the story of a diverse group of people whose contributions are largely unknown to the American public. The role Americans played in the development of Arab nationalism has been largely unexplored by historians, making this an important and original contribution to scholarship. This volume is of great interest to students and academics in the field, though the narrative style is accessible to anyone interested in Arab nationalism, the conflict between Zionists and Palestinians, and the United States’ relationship with the Arab world. Aaron Berman is Professor Emeritus of History at Hampshire College. He received his doctorate in American History from Columbia University. His first book, Nazism, the Jews and American Zionism, 1933–1948 (1990) ex- plained how American Jewry’s understanding of their own history shaped the Zionist response to the extermination of European Jewry. His research interests center on the history of nationalism (particularly Arab and Jewish nationalisms) and internationalism. For 11 years he served as Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Hampshire College. Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern History The region’s history from the earliest times to the present is catered for by this series made up of the very latest research. Books include political, social, cultural, religious and economic history. The Secret Anglo-French War in the Middle East Intelligence and Decolonization, 1940–1948 Meir Zamir Histories of the Jews of Egypt An Imagined Bourgeoisie Dario Miccoli The Empress Nurbanu and Ottoman Politics in the Sixteenth Century Building the Atik Valide Pinar Kayaalp Britain and the Arab Gulf after Empire Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, 1971–1981 Simon C. Smith Hebrew Popular Journalism Birth and Development in Ottoman Palestine Ouzi Elyada The British Mandate in Palestine A Centenary Volume, 1920–2020 Edited by Michael J Cohen America’s Arab Nationalists From the Ottoman Revolution to the Rise of Hitler Aaron Berman For a full list of titles, please visit: www.routledge.com/middleeaststudies/series/ SE0811 America’s Arab Nationalists From the Ottoman Revolution to the Rise of Hitler Aaron Berman First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Aaron Berman The right of Aaron Berman to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-032-21531-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-21533-4 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-26884-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003268840 Typeset in Times New Roman by MPS Limited, Dehradun Dedicated to my children: Louis, Alan and Taber Contents Acknowledgements x Introduction 1 1 1908 6 2 Charles Crane, Abraham Rihbany and Ameen Rihani: On the Path to Arab Nationalism 28 3 “America Save the Near East”: World War I, the Arab Revolt and the Growth of Arab Nationalism 48 4 American Arab Nationalists in Paris 69 5 The Disillusionment of Abraham Rihbany: The King- Crane Commission 91 6 Three Trips: 1920–1925 116 7 Charles Crane’s Revolution and Ameen Rihani’s Wahhabism 137 8 America’s Arab Nationalists, Zionism and Hitler 160 Epilogue 188 Index 197
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