The Legacy of Lawrence of Arabia

Rory Stewart examines the writings of Lawrence of Arabia, and learns that the warrior hero himself later questioned the very nature of his intervention in the Middle East. Seeking a model for how to fight and win in the Middle East, the American military is turning to an extraordinary source – Lawrence of Arabia. Today, the writing of Thomas Edward Lawrence is required reading in some US military academies. But for Rory Stewart, a former soldier and diplomat in post-war Iraq, this surprising story has a darker message: Lawrence might have won his desert war and been hailed a warrior hero, but the political deals that followed fatally undermined his success. In two films, Rory Stewart explains why he believes that Lawrence, as a result, came to the bitter conclusion that foreign military interventions in the Middle East are fundamentally unworkable and should not take place.

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0 trackers | Status: Ended | Airs on BBC Two | Saturday 7:00 PM