From Cairo to Istanbul -- The Arab challenge to Ottoman rule -- The Egyptian empire of Muhammad 'Ali -- The perils of reform -- The first wave of colonialism : North Africa -- Divide and rule : World War I and the postwar settlement -- The British empire in the Middle East -- The French empire in the Middle East -- The Palestine disaster and its consequences -- The rise of Arab nationalism -- The decline of Arab nationalism -- The age of oil -- The power of Islam -- After the Cold War.