title: Americas Forgotten Middle East Initiative: The King-Crane Commission of 1919 (International Library of Twentieth Century History)
author:  Andrew Patrick 
description: "Patrick's book is a fine addition to the literature on the modern Middle East. It works both as a 'what-if ' reading of one of the most important periods in modern history, provoking much-needed reflection on a set of decisions taken in 1919-20 that shaped so much of the modern history of the Middle East and the wider world, but also, importantly, as an in-depth study of the post-war turmoil and the first attempts by the United States to play the part of a world power." -<i>English Historical Review</i><br /><br />" ... well-written and thoroughly researched ... Patrick shows that the commission's report does provide a picture--a snapshot--of Arab opinions and aspirations in the aftermath of the Great War." <i>-Diplomacy and Statecraft</i><br /><br />"A key contribution of this book is its thoughtful analysis of how and,to the extent possible, why, the commissioners reached the conclusions they did. ... Professor Patrick has certainly achieved his objective of restoring the King-Crane commission to its rightful status and, in doing so has contributed a useful building block to the scholarly literature on the United States and the modern Middle East."-<i>Middle East Media and Book Reviews Online</i><br /><br />"<i>America's Forgotten Middle East Initiative</i> reveals the wisdom of grappling with the powerful role concepts of race and religion played for Americans as the United States assumed a greater role in world affairs, and those who read Patrick's clarifying work will benefit from his careful and even-handed study of an important but overlooked moment in American and Middle Eastern history." -<i>H-Diplo</i>
zlib_text: Andrew	Patrick	is	Assistant	Professor	of	History	at	Tennessee	State	University.	He	received
  his	PhD	in	Middle	Eastern	Studies	from	the	University	of	Manchester.
  
  ‘The	King–Crane	Commission	Report	may	be	the	most	detailed	account	extant	of	the	Wilsonian
  imaginary	applied	to	a	particular	region.	Patrick's	lucid	and	beautifully	written	study	brings	to
  life	 all	 manner	 of	 paths	 not	 taken	 in	 the	 post-Ottoman	 Middle	 East.	 Historians,	 regional
  specialists	 across	 disciplines	 and	 international	 relations	 scholars	 will	 all	 find	 this	 book
  essential	reading.’
  Leonard	V.	Smith,	Frederick	B.	Artz	Professor	of	History,	Oberlin	College
  ‘This	admirably	fair-minded	book	provides	a	reliable	and	deeply	engaging	account	of	one	of
  the	least-understood	episodes	in	the	history	of	America?s	relationship	with	the	Middle	East.
  Anyone	interested	in	how	the	United	States	has	sought	to	engage	a	post-colonial	world	can
  profit	from	Andrew	Patrick?s	splendid	research	and	judicious	analysis.’
  Davi