Guardians of the Gulf: A History of America’s Expanding Role in the Persian Gulf, 1833-1992,
by Michael A. Palmer. New York: Free Press, 1992. 

Although the affairs of the Persian Gulf region captured Americans’ attention only during the past few decades, U.S. involvement in the area actually began more than 150 years ago.

Michael A. Palmer, as assistant professor of history at East Carolina University and author of previous works on maritime strategy, has chronicled with insight and rich detail the United States’ increasing involvement in the Persian Gulf.  Beginning with the arrival of a small naval force in Muscat, Oman, in 1833, the U.S. increased its commercial activities in the area, while the British continued to bear the burden of defending Western interests.

The discovery of oil at the beginning of the 20th Century accelerated U.S. capitalism in the region, but it was not until World War II and its aftermath that the United States developed a coherent strategy for the region.  According to Palmer, “America’s policymakers planned to increase the world’s dependence on Middle Eastern oil and expected to have to shoulder political and economic responsibilities for the security of the gulf.”  That expectation became a reality in the late 1960s when the United States supplanted a weakened United Kingdom as the dominant political and military power in the gulf.

The book chronicles in rich detail the trials and tribulations of U.S. policy in the region during the tumultuous 1970s, during the Arab oil embargo, and when the United States relied upon the “Twin Pillars” of Iran and Saudi Arabia as coequal regional powers.  The books also details and assesses the reflagging of Kuwaiti tankers and the events leading up to Saddam Hussein’s August 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM have been, to date, the culmination of U.S. policy in the gulf and incontrovertible evidence of American resolve.  The chapters that describe these events are especially interesting.  The author suggests that the Allied ground plan to maneuver around the Iraqi right flank was not an especially innovative stratagem.  “In fact,” Palmer writes, “given the state of current U.S. Army doctrine, the size of the force deployed to Saudi Arabia, and the geography of the Kuwaiti Theater of Operations, [General Norman] Schwarzkopf had little choice but to go around the Iraqi right flank.”  Palmer also argues convincingly that the DESERT STORM deception plan was not as effective, or as responsible for the Iraqi defeat, as has been claimed.

Throughout the book, Palmer demonstrates a superb grasp of military operations, especially the related technological aspects of aerial and naval warfare.  His depth of research and skillful use of relevant primary and secondary source material are shown clearly in 46 pages of endnotes and 13 pages of bibliography.  Three pages of maps are also worthwhile.

This is an enthralling, singularly outstanding book, a model of clarity and good scholarship.  Guardians of the Gulf is an indispensable addition to the libraries of those who served in the Persian Gulf and to anyone who is interested in this volatile region where “U.S. policy . . . must be considered a success.” 

Book Review, Guardians of the Gulf: A History of America’s Expanding Role in the Persian Gulf, 1833-1992, by Michael A. Palmer, Infantry 83 (November-December 1993): 52.