Britain's strategic conundrum Mark Sykes

riflemen carrying flag of arab revolt

sykes had long agreed traditional policy of british conservatives in propping ottoman empire (turkey) buffer against russian expansion mediterranean. britain feared russia had designs on india, important colonial possession. russian fleet in mediterranean might cut british sea routes india. british statesmen such palmerston, disraeli , salisbury had held view. liberal party leader, william ewart gladstone, more critical of ottoman government, deploring misgovernment , periodic slaughter of minorities, christian ones. liberal successor, david lloyd george, shared progressively disdainful attitude towards sick man of europe.

compounding britain s difficulties, france sought secure greater syria, there significant minorities, included palestine. ally, italy, advanced claims aegean islands offering protection christian minorities in asia minor. russian claims had considered, particularly respect control of straits leading black sea aegean , protection of christian population of turkish armenia , black sea coast. greece coveted historic byzantine territories in asia minor , thrace, claims conflicted of russia , italy, turkey. british prime minister (1916–1922), david lloyd george, favoured greek cause. complicating desire of zionists have jewish homeland in palestine.

sykes set off london on journey of 6 months duration overland across europe bulgaria. stopped @ sofia, , thence took ship british hq in dardanelles. turkey, travelling cairo, egypt, down suez canal aden on yemen peninsula. port of aden crossed indian ocean simla, india, , egypt. sykes debriefed arab bureau @ cairo hq. lloyd, herbert, , other egyptian army officers there. cheetham had been replaced sir henry macmahon high commissioner; secretariat of clayton , storrs still in support. sykes amused high commissioner mimicry of turks , syrians, drawing caricatures of general staff. sykes on fact-finding mission reporting bunsen committee, had been appointed kitchener in march 1915.

in mid-july 1915, emir broke silence after 6 months write sir ronald storrs on proposals put grand sharif. sykes had left cairo travelled through syria. 8 december 1915, returned england, having met lawrence, gain support arab revolt. t.e. lawrence called sykes imaginative advocate of unconvincing world movements... bundle of prejudices, intuitions, half-sciences. ideas of outside; , lacked patience test materials before choosing style of building … sketch out in few dashes new world, out of scale, vivid vision of sides of thing hoped.” lawrence thought him fellow, sadly unreliable intellect. little wonder gertrude bell , lawrence less congenial, not favourite people in arab bureau. sykes remained purist shunned democratic progress, instead vesting energy in indomitable arab spirit. champion of levantine tradition, of mercantile trading empire, finding progressive modernisation in west totally unsuited desert kingdoms.

this meant alexandretta plan roll syria, in order reshape middle east on nationalist lines. on 16 december met war committee of cabinet @ 11 am. although others present, lloyd george, balfour, asquith , kitchener spoke.

it sykes special role hammer out agreement – triple entente – britain s important ally, france, shouldering disproportionate part of effort against germany in first world war. french counterpart françois georges-picot , accepted picot got better deal expected. (see sykes-picot agreement.) sykes came feel , bothered him.