How the Ottomans Ruined the 20th Century

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


Founded by Central Asian Muslim tribes in 1299, at its height in the late 17th century the empire spanned three continents, taking in the Balkans in southern Europe, Arab lands from Mesopotamia to Morocco, and much of Asia Minor. Since the beginning of the 18th century Istanbul found itself almost continually at war with Europe’s imperial powers. Invariably, it came out on the losing end. Egypt and most of North Africa were lost to Britain and France by 1882, while Russia gobbled up one province of eastern Anatolia after another. Continue ...

'The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East' by Eugene Rogan. 512 p. Basic Books. $21.44 (via Amazon)