• Overview
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Robert Barbere

~ All In A Day's Work

Robert Barbere

Tag Archives: World War I

In Search Of Unity

30 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by robb1138 in History, Politics

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Gamal Abdel Nasser, Hashemite, House of Saud, Hussein bin Ali, Mecca, Medina, Middle East, Muhammad Ibn Saud, Ottoman Empire, Persian Gulf, Sharif of Mecca, World War I

Arab attachment to the British ArmyWith the rise of the House of Saud, the Arab world had another contender for power in the Persian Gulf. After several attempts of the Saud family to take over the area, the Saudi found itself in conflict with various tribal clans that go back to the days of the Ottoman Empire.

During the first rise of the House of Saud, under Muhammad Ibn Saud, attacked and captured the cities of Mecca and Medina, clearly in the Hashemite locus of control. Years later, with World War I at the beginning of World War I, because the British approached Hussein bin Ali, the Sharif of Mecca, to join them in their cause in attacking the Ottoman Empire in the hopes of distracting the Turks in their aid of the Germans during the war. However, once the British withdrew their support of Hussein bin Ali after the First World War, Ibn Saud immediately went after Hussein bin Ali’s land of the Hejaz. Continue reading →

Culture Filters Perception

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by robb1138 in History, Politics

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Abd al-Karim Qasim, April Glaspie, Basra, Cold War, Culture Filters Perception, Iraq, Kuwait, Middle East politic, Ottoman Empire, Patriarchal Culture, Saddam Hussein, Shaykh Abdullah II Al-Sabah, Sunni Muslim, World War I

April Glaspie met with Saddam Hussein on July 25, 1990

April Glaspie shakes hands with Saddam Hussein

As my understanding of Middle East politics and history sharpened, I began to understand, the almost laughable conclusion that in 1990 Saddam Hussein “believed that he had U.S. approval to invade Kuwait.”  But carefully examining the situation, it seems almost plausible. One can sum up Saddam Hussein’s misconception of the consequences of the invasion of Kuwait with his Iraqi troops as, culture filters perception. Two groups of people, communicating with each other, using a common terms, but filtered and interpreted completely different. Certain events in the history of Middle East relations with the United States and specifically the person whom Saddam Hussein communicated with apparently led the Iraqi leader to feel that he had a free pass to invade Kuwait. Continue reading →

The Middle East: Misconceptions Instilled by David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia”

07 Tuesday Oct 2014

Posted by robb1138 in History, Politics

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Arabian Peninsula, David Lean, Europeans, Germans, Lawrence of Arabia, Middle East, Ottoman Turks, T.E. Lawrence, Unified Arab Nation, World War I

Lawrence of ArabiaWhen I heard that actor Peter O’Toole died last year on December 12, 2013, I was sad. Mr. O’Toole was nominated for an Academy Award for a film called “Lawrence of Arabia.” Although the film was loosely based on T.E. Lawrence’s accounts of his time in the Arabian Peninsula during World War I, it was director David Lean’s depiction of the peoples of that area, in contrast to what at the time we considered civilized people are like, that sets the tone for misconceptions about what living in the Middle East is like. In the film, Lean depicts the peoples as warring tribes too intent on fighting over watering holes, and on petty arguments between tribes, instead of fighting for their own independence from the Ottoman Turks. The film has Lawrence giving the concept of a unified Arab nation, of tribes united under a common flag, of similar peoples with similar beliefs, and similar culture could not even be fathomed by the Arabs themselves. He also shows the people as backwards and manipulated by the smarter Europeans, whose only concern is using the Arabs as a sideshow to distract the Turks from helping the Germans on either front during World War I. Continue reading →

Welcome

Robert Barbere

Start here

  • Overview
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Follow Robert Barbere on WordPress.com

Blogs I Follow

  • Barbere Productions
  • Strong Language
  • Thought Catalog
  • hessianwithteeth
  • The Daily Post
  • A Constantly Racing Mind...

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

RSS A Constantly Racing Mind

  • Battlestar Galactica Viper Mark l August 30, 2021
    1977 was a big year for me.  Two great films came out that year. Roger Moore in A Spy Who Loved Me with that crazy Lotus Esprit that turned into a submarine. And, of course, Star Wars. With the Death Star, Tie Fighters and Y wings, and the iconic X Wing fighter. Now, most Star Wars aficionados know that John Dykstra was in charge of the special effects and w […]
    robb1138
  • The Black Death and the Plague Doctor mask August 23, 2021
    The Great Mortality or as it is better known to as the Black Death, was a time in the medieval history that saw the population of the world practically drop by half.It was a turning point in history that left us with a new world rising from the ashes.Join me as we travel back in time to Medieval Europe and take a look at a time and the headgear of the plague […]
    robb1138
  • The Cross of King Arthur | Reel Art August 10, 2021
     Archeology is the search for facts, not truth, So, When looking at the historical King Arthur, we, unfortunately, must put aside all the romantic characters and imagery that we have been exposed to throughout our lives. We forget the tales of knights in shining armor and start from scratch with the story of Arthur.I am not even sure if there was a King Arth […]
    robb1138

Blog at WordPress.com.

Barbere Productions

Professional Voice Talent

Strong Language

Thought Catalog

Thought Catalog is a digital youth culture magazine dedicated to your stories and ideas.

hessianwithteeth

This site is all about ideas

The Daily Post

The Art and Craft of Blogging

A Constantly Racing Mind...

All In A Day's Work

  • Follow Following
    • Robert Barbere
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Robert Barbere
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...