Geopolitics
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‘The Great Famine and Genocide in Persia, 1917-1919’ by Dr Mohammad Gholi Majd begins with one of the most startling statements I have read: “The great famine of 1917-1919 was unquestionably the greatest calamity in the history of Persia, far surpassing anything that has happened before. It is shown in this study that as much as…
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A ‘National Conference on the Eastern Question’ took place in Piccadilly, London, on 8 December 1876. The Convention was attended by 1,200 delegates and The Times noted “we have never known any association for a political object which has obtained support over so large a part of the scale of English society.” But who is aware…
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We have reached the Centenary of the Easter Rising. On this day it is fitting we remember North Antrim’s Roger Casement who not only gave up his life for Irish freedom but did so much, in his writings, to give Ireland independence of mind. This represented the beginnings of a Foreign Policy – an essential…
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1916 was a pivotal year for the British Empire and for the world. In 1916 Britain suffered the humiliating surrender at Kut, a serious revolt in Dublin, the naval reverse at Jutland and the massive blood sacrifice at the Somme. It was no nearer winning the Great War it had begun two years earlier against…
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The following talk was given to the Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto, Canada and Ottawa University at the end of March 2016 Easter week of 1916 was a very bad 7 days for the British Empire. It started with a serious Rising in Dublin against British rule in Ireland and ended with General Townshend’s…
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The Irish Times (20/2/16) has a book review of Stefan Ihrig’s ‘Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler.’ Its reviewer is a Law Professor from the U.S. Perhaps in this year of 1916 commemoration a book and a review vilifying “our gallant allies” of Germany and Turkey is called for by the…
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The September issue of History Ireland has a sympathetic article by Angus Mitchell, author of the recent 1916 book on Roger Casement, called ‘James Bryce and the Politics of Inhumanity.’ However, the career of Lord Bryce would be better summed up in George Curzon’s memorable phrase of “fatal philanthropy”. Roger Casement’s view that James Bryce…
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During 1919, after the Armistice and as the Royal Navy did its work in securing Germany’s surrender to the Peace Treaty of Versailles, Lord Esher conducted an interesting correspondence with Lord Hankey. The two men had worked together in the Committee of Imperial Defence to plan the war against Germany and now the war had…
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An interesting letter about the differences between propaganda and information was written by Lord Esher to General Macdonogh on 17th October 1916. Major-General George Macdonogh was a Catholic Irishman who became Director of Military Intelligence in the British Army under Sir William Robertson in 1916. When Sir Douglas Haig replaced Robertson as BEF Commander-in-Chief he…
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Lord Esher wrote in his journal, October 2nd 1908: “Haldane suggested this morning that I should explain to the King the great change which has occurred, over the last two years, in the constitution and readiness for war of the Regular Army. It is exceedingly difficult, as I told him, to do this without tabulated…
