The European empire system … Iran … parallel histories
The European empire system … Iran … parallel histories
The European empire system …
… Scotland and slavery
… The Palestine Police Force, 1920-1948
… the Aden Emergency, 1963-1967
… the making of modern Asia
… Iran; and the British and Russian empires
USA: most Olympic golds; biggest bombs, 1945, 2017, 2025
USA bombing of Iran …
… USA, Iran, UK, , France, Russia, China, UN
War and world society (my report June 2024)
Controversial history … parallel histories
The European empire system …
For some time I have been interested in nations, empires and empire systems – and in their conceptions in relation to self and other, and positive and negative. Last year I started using the phrases, “the European system” and “the European empire system”.
Olympics 2024 … first North Asia, then Europe then Europe Empire System (21pages)
The European system … Brics and Commonwealth … One Family
Has there been a “decline of violence in history”?
Decline of death … decline of violent death? … power and the European System
Love China, Love USA … “no suggestion of wrongdoing”
A number of news items in the past week have prompted me to return to this notion.
… Scotland and slavery
“As the first black professor in Scotland, Sir Geoff Palmer argued that the perception of Scots as more tolerant of immigrants than their English neighbours was a “myth” while fighting to raise awareness of Scotland’s role in the slave trade. “If you look at the Jamaican telephone directory, 60 per cent of the names are Scottish” …
… Robert Burns applied to be a slave master in Jamaica.” ”
“Sir Geoff Palmer. 1940-2025. Member of the Windrush generation who overcame prejudice to become Scotland’s first black professor and university chancellor.” The Times, June 19 2025: 45.
In view of the above my paper on Burns last year requires some modification.
Love everybody; understand everybody … Robert Burns, 1759-1796
… The Palestine Police Force, 1920-1948
Ted Horne has died, aged 103.
“After the collapse of the centuries-old Ottoman Empire, the British had been mandated to by the league of nations in 1920 to provide a civil administration in Palestine. From this emerged the PPF, which was overseen by the British and staffed by Muslim, Christian and Jewish officers.”
A Job Well Done. The Palestine Police Force, 1920-1948. Ted Horne. 1982.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1500048215
BPPA. http://britishpalestinepolice.org.uk/
“Ted Horne. 1921-2025.Palestine Police Force intelligence officer in Nablus during the British mandate.” The Times, June 19 2025: 47.
The religious affiliation in Palestine in 1926 is given in:
Chapter 8 History; Part 2; citing Alfred Wiener, 1927
Israel and Palestine: self and other, positive and negative; 2023
The same source gives (in 1926):
.Table The Palestine police
. Engl. Other … … … Total
. Moh Christ Jud All
.officer 48 45 17 15 77 125
.under-officer 21 108 24 22 154 175
.Schutzleute 176 875 226 175 1276 1452
Total 245 1028 267 212 1507 1752
… the Aden Emergency, 1963-1967
“… the climax of the Aden insurgency. On June 1, there was a general strike throughout the colony in which both the communist-backed National Liberation Front and the rival Arab Nationalist Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen sought to thwart Britain’s attempt to establish a pro-western independent Federation of South Arabia.”
“Lieutenant Colonel Nick Emson. 1945-2025. Dashing officer who carried wounded comrades under fire in the Aden insurgency and was awarded the Military Cross.” The Times, June 16 2025: 42.
The Aden Emergency, 1963-1967
Imperial War Museum: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-short-history-of-the-aden-emergency
… the making of modern Asia
Shattered lands: Five partitions and the Making of Modern Asia. Sam Dalrymple. William Collins. 2025.
“The map and the territory. This imperious, establishment view of the British Raj’s collapse is redeemed by its forgotten stories of Asia’s independence fighters.” Abhrajyoti Chakraborty. The Observer, 22 June 2025: 39.
https://observer.co.uk/culture/books/article/the-partitions-that-made-modern-asia
… Iran; and the British and Russian empires
“The Kajar dynasty (1794-1925) was marked largely by domination between Britain and Russia.” Macmillan Encyclopaedia. …
A new novel about rich Iranian women in America contains their memory of the 1941 invasion.
“They’d left Tehran early this year because there was word Iran could no longer stay neutral in a fight happening elsewhere. The British and the Soviets were bombing Tehran supposedly the German influence was too strong …”
The Persians. Sanam Mahloudji. 4th Estate: London. 2025 p. 45 [A novel]
I disapprove of an AI overview but here it is:
“The Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran in August 1941 involved bombing of Tehran and other cities. The invasion, codenamed Operation Countenance, was a joint effort by British and Soviet forces aimed at securing Iranian oil fields and supply lines for the Soviet Union fighting against Nazi Germany. While Iran was officially neutral, its monarch, Reza Shah, was seen as sympathetic to the Axis powers, leading to the invasion.”
Also Military History Now:
https://militaryhistorynow.com/2017/11/02/iran-vs-the-allies-the-persian-gulf-war-of-1941/
USA: most Olympic golds; biggest bombs, 1945, 2017, 2025
A nation’s Olympic success depends on its national strength which correlates with both peaceful strength and military strength. The greater the military strength the bigger the bomb.
1945: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki
2017: Trump’s Mother of All Bombs, Afghanistan
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39598046
2025: President Trump announces successful US attack on three Iranian nuclear sites
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6374692585112
See also:
USA power: self and other; positive and negative
USA bombing of Iran …
BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ckg3rzj8emjt
Times of Israel: https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Al Jazeera: https://www.aljazeera.com/
President Trump announces successful US attack on three Iranian nuclear sites
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6374692585112
full text:
Other reactions were ambivalent, muted or condemnatory:
… Iran
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwq2vnd827o
… UK, PM Starmer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq53l41gl8jo
… France
… Russia
https://tass.com/politics/1978731
https://tass.com/world/1978639
… China
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson’s Remarks on the US Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities
By Chinese Foreign Ministry Published: Jun 22, 2025 07:21 PM
Q: US President Donald Trump announced that the US carried out strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran—Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan. What's China's comment on this?
A: China strongly condemns the US attacks on Iran and bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA. The actions of the US seriously violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East. China calls on the parties to the conflict, Israel in particular, to reach a ceasefire as soon as possible, ensure the safety of civilians, and start dialogue and negotiation. China stands ready to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and work for restoring peace and stability in the Mid
… UN
https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/06/1164741
War and world society (my report June 2024)
War and world society (my report June 2024)
See also (May 2025):
VE Day: today in the UK, tomorrow in Russia … Rus, Britannia, Third Reich
Controversial history … parallel histories
Parallel histories
https://parallelhistories.org.uk/
“Here’s how to teach controversial history. A visionary charity helps pupils see both sides of the argument in debates: a lesson for life. … The world is more complicated than good v evil tales suggest.” Emma Duncan. The Times, June 20 2025: 20.
“Free speech and students seeing both sides.” Letters. The Times, June 20 2025: 22.
“How history can help us examine the present.” Letters. The Times, June 21 2025: 26.
THE END