The Middle East, as we know it today, was shaped in the violent and tumultuous years of the first half of the 20th century. The roots of many of the conflicts and crises which afflict the region today can be traced back to this period of wars, high drama and the cavalier re- drawing of maps. Patrick Seale, a leading historian of the region, tells the story of the making of the modern Middle East through the life of Riad el-Solh, a Lebanese politician who grew into the outstanding Arab statesman of his time. Based on British and French archives, and on numerous interviews, the book pieces together the history of the Arab struggle for independence through the lives of those most directly involved. It is an invaluable resource for students and researchers, and of compelling interest to anyone who wants to know more about the Middle East. Contents: 1. Grandee of the empire; 2. An Ottoman childhood; 3. Education in revolution; 4. In the shadow of the gallows; 5. Faysal's false dawn; 6. Fugitive from the French; 7. The great Syrian revolution; 8. A hero's return; 9. Man of the people; 10. Riad el-Solh, Zionism and the Hajj Amin al-Husayni; 11. Ben Gurion and the Arabs; 12. The making of a Lebanese patriot; 13. Competing identities: the battle for men's minds; 14. The politics of the street; 15. The changing fortunes of war; 16. Rashid 'Ali and 'Operation Exporter'; 17. Riad Bey and general spears; 18. The electoral challenge; 19. The compromise of the national pact; 20. The decisive battle; 21. Painful awakening; 22. Goodbye to the French; 23. Master of the local scene; 24. The unwanted war; 25. The challenge from the revolutionaries; 26. Murder in Amman.