Frederick Anscombe explains the reasons behind the Ottoman occupation of the Persian Gulf in 1871 and its inability to defend and cultivate the new territory.

Anscombe frames his analysis around a key question: Given the troubles that the Ottomans encountered in ruling such heavily tribal, nomadic areas, were they still equipped to rule an empire in the Middle East? The spread of unrest in the Gulf states led Ibn Sa'ud to create Saudi Arabia, bringing the Ottoman's place in Gulf history to a close in 1913.

Anscombe traces the diplomatic game of the "Eastern Question" -- what was to become of the Ottoman empire? Contrary to popular belief, eastern Arabia's importance to Europe predates its emergence as a major supplier of oil; today, international tensions engendered by the Eastern Question influence the course of events in the Gulf, and around the world.