ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how Arabians create their independent state. It also examines the scope and quality of the Arab contribution to the military operations in the Eastern Theater of the War. In 1915, Muhammad Sharif al-Faruqi claimed that the Arab party in Syria and Mesopotamia wielded "a very great power", and that ninety percent of Arab officers were members of his society. These officers formed the backbone of the Ottoman military administration in the Eastern Theater of the War. The end result of his overture was Sir Henry McMahon's letter of 24 October 1915. The British commitment enshrined in it was the corollary of the Arab promise to rise against Turkey. In historiography, the capture of Akaba was marked as a turning point in the history of the Arab revolt. The chapter further discusses the basic reasons for the failure of the Arab revolt.
