Dr Chikara Hashimoto

24 October 1975–22 September 2016

Part One

Dr Chikara Hashimoto died suddenly on 22 September 2016 at the age of forty. The Twilight of the British Empire: British Intelligence and Counter-Subversion in the Middle East, 1948–63 was completed in 2016 and is here taken forward to publication in Edinburgh University Press's Intelligence, Surveillance and Secret Warfare series. Some drafting amendments were made by the series editors, Richard J. Aldrich, Michael S. Goodman, Hugh Wilford and, in particular, Rory Cormac. These efforts, and those of Jen Daly at Edinburgh University Press, have expedited publication of Dr Hashimoto's first and, tragically, last book.

Chikara arrived at Aberystwyth University with his wife, Sawa, in 2004. He studied intelligence as an undergraduate and as a Master's student, before embarking on his PhD in 2009, the year that Sawa gave birth to their daughter, Miyaka. The family lived in Aberystwyth until they moved to the University of Sharjah when Chikara become an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations. At Aberystwyth he established himself as a central figure in the Centre for Intelligence and International Security Studies in the Department of International Politics. At Sharjah his academic career flourished as a teacher and scholar, and his contribution to the field of intelligence studies gathered further momentum.

The Twilight of the British Empire: British Intelligence and Counter-Subversion in the Middle East, 1948–63 is an important book for three main reasons. Firstly, it is a notable contribution to understanding Britain's role in the Middle East. It provides the first systematic study of the neglected aspect of intelligence and counter-subversion policy during a critical phase of the Cold War and the demise of British imperialism. It provides significant insights into Britain's relationship with states that were mostly tangential to Britain's colonial heritage but whose potential Cold War role London sought to cultivate.

Secondly, it casts light on the intelligence perspectives and practices of countries whose domestic and regional agendas were often at variance with British Cold War priorities. The book illuminates the development of bilateral and multilateral security and intelligence relationships and provides new perspectives on intelligence liaison within the region.