Why U.S. involvment after WWI:

Iran

• 1907 treaty ends the Great Game - 1936
  • Britain and Russia withdraw from Tibet & Afghanistan, partition Persia
    
• civil war 1908-1925
  
  • Qajar vs. Pahlevi
    
  • Britain supported Qajar government due to Wm. D'Arcy's Burmah Oil Co. 1901 concession that led to the great 1908 gusher at Masjid-i-Sulaiman and formation of 1909 Anglo-Persian Oil Co.
    
  • Howard Baskerville trained Pahlevi militia
    
  • Wilson supported Britain at Versailles - no more aid
    
  • Reza Pahlevi like Kemal - Republic of Iran
    

Iraq

• Brit occupation 1914-20 - Sir Percy Cox
  
• Al-Sabah rule in Kuwait vs. Baath party 1963
  

Syria

• Hussein's Great Revolt 1916 with T.E. Lawrence
  
  • 3 sons lead armies against Turks - Ali to Medina, Abdullah to Transjordan, Faisal to Syria
    
  • "road to Damascus leads through London & Paris"
    
• Hussein-McMahon letters 1915 promise Arab indep.
  
• but Sykes-Picot 1916 carves red & blue mandates
• Faisal attends Versailles for Arabs
  

Palestine

• Balfour Declaration 1917 document; Wilson-Brandeis 1918 and joint resolution of Congress led by Lodge 1922
  
• Faisal-Weizmann agreement 1919 - immigration
• Mandate 1920-48

San Remo Treaty May 5, 1920

• Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine
  

Sevres Treaty August 10, 1920

• final partition of Ottoman empire - San Remo affirmed
  
• begin suppression of Arab independents
  

Links:

• "Floating to Victory" is the 2nd episode from the TV series Oil produced by Grampian Televison, 1986, based on The Seven Sisters by Anthony Sampson
• Arabia Online andArabiaWeb and ArabView
• Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D. C. publishes the illustrated Saudi Arabia, the Magazine
• Saudi Aramco
• OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet, September 1998, from USEIA shows revenues falling from the 1980 peak year.
• Avalon collection of documents on Mideast