Mirage: Power, Politics, and the Hidden History of Arabian Oil [Hardcover]

Aileen Keating (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005

Keating's authoritative narrative is based on years of research in original archives across the world. She explodes many myths, including the widely held notion that oil companies and geological experts of the time really did know that there was oil in Arabia but kept the knowledge under wraps to keep competitors away. Against an exotic backdrop of international intrigue and folly in high places, Keating also underscores the fact that the Arab sheikdoms after World War I were virtual outposts of the Raj (British rule from India), which helps to explain much about the political manoeuvring that kept the Arab kingdoms from gaining independence and profiting from their own oil reserves for many decades. Complete with maps and photos, a 'who's who' of key persons, and copious notes, "Mirage" is both a work of in-depth scholarship and an engaging story of power and politics with striking relevance for our time.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Aileen Keating (Sydney, Australia) is an international journalist who has worked as the Arab Gulf Reporter for Time, Fortune, and Life and is a former lecturer in politics and sociology at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at Australian National University, Canberra.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 560 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 1St Edition edition (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023467
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023463
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent History of a Critical Part of the World, December 4, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mirage: Power, Politics, and the Hidden History of Arabian Oil (Hardcover)

This book is written by an Australian international journalist now associated with the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Australian National University, Canberra. Thus Dr. Keating can be free of the political arguments currently going on in the US between the pro and anti Bush factions.

The title comes from the deliberate obscuring of the fact that the Arab areas of the Persion Gulf were virtual outposts of the British rule in India. This was not a happy situation for the people in the gulf and set the stage for the dramatic changes that were to come as the Americans came to the gulf and eventually superceeded the British interests.

At the end of World War I, when this books story begins, it was generally believed by the experts that there was no oil in Arabia. The book basically ends with President Roosevelt's statement in 1943 that 'I hereby find that the defense of Saudi Arabia is vital to the defence of the United States.'

In the twenty years between these two dates, there is a story of ambition, intrigue, folly, drama, conflict and even some comic interludes. None the less, this was the time that set the stage for the remainder of the century and for the future years. Here is the foundation for what is going on in that part of the gulf now.

The book is extensively researched, and written so well that the otherwise dull history is made very readable and interesting.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth, essential pick for any collection, January 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mirage: Power, Politics, and the Hidden History of Arabian Oil (Hardcover)

Any studying Middle East history or culture, particularly those at the college level, will find the weighty 560-page MIRAGE: POWER, POLITICS, AND THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ARABIAN OIL to be a methodical and important survey of the discovery, development and use of Middle Eastern oil. From the history of discoveries and the reasons reserves in some countries went untapped for decades to the role of one New Zealander Frank Holmes in discovering and revealing these new sources, MIRAGE delves into the background and uses the author's original research from archives around the world in its in-depth revelation - which even includes maps, photos, and a 'who's who' of key people. An in-depth, essential pick for any collection solid in Middle Eastern studies and issues.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch