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About
Isra Saker is a full-time PhD candidate in the Department of International History. Isra holds a BA (Hons) in BA International History from LSE, as well as an MPhil in World History from the University of Cambridge. Before starting her PhD, Isra worked in The National Archives, in the Freedom of Information department, as well as working as a tutor for History GCSE and A-Level exams.
Isra's doctoral work is supported at LSE by a PhD Studentship and is being supervised by Professor Nigel Ashton. Her project seeks to chart the overlooked history of the cultural and intelligence war waged by Britain across the Middle East from 1948 to 1977. The period in question oversees the duration of the infamous Information Research Department (IRD) until their fateful ending by 1977, who utilised these overt and covert approaches. In tandem with intelligence, cultural diplomacy and propaganda dissemination was one facet of information policy, spearheaded by the Information Research Department, in liaison with other government and ‘independent’ organisations. Britain’s perception management campaign was an integral element of the soft power they exerted throughout the Middle East, particularly amidst decolonisation and the Cold War. The IRD sponsored and subsidised local media organisations, as well as cooperated with the BBC to disseminate anti-communist propaganda. On the covert side, Britain forged intelligence alliances across the Levant; by the 1950s, full co-operation was established across the region to exchange information about active communists and their contacts with foreign sources. Therefore, this thesis seeks to fill a lacuna in the study of a critical period in Britain’s post-war policy to the Middle East.
Key Expertise: British Foreign Policy, Cold War, Middle East, Intelligence, Propaganda, Cultural History
Supervisor: Professor Nigel Ashton
Provisional thesis title: ‘Securing the fragile crescent: Britain and the IRD: Collaboration, cooperation and propaganda in the Middle East 1948-77'