In the footsteps of T.E. Lawrence - a quest for understanding in the Middle East

The bitter and destructive struggle in the Levant has a lengthy, complex and  grievous history. No doubt the region has experienced its share of territorial bloodshed from ancient times. However, much of the conflict and hostility which has plagued it over the last century or so can be traced to the pacts made between European powers during and after the First World War. In that war, the Arab world fought together with British forces to overthrow the oppressive Ottoman Empire in exchange for the right to self-governance of its territory. Instead, Britain and other European countries divided the region into their own territories of influence.  

A British archeologist turned intelligence officer, T.E. Lawrence, led and fought alongside those Arab fighters and became known as a hero.  In 2006, while the 9/11 terrorist attacks were still fresh in the global memory, two adventurers, Wells Jones, and his teammate, Miles Spencer, decided to retrace Lawrence's desert route.  Their mission: to gain some sort of perspective into the past and into the cultural conflicts that still haunt this region. 

In this second episode with Wells, he discusses that journey and the resulting historical novel - A Line in the Sand: Adventures in Understanding with Magnus and Finn - with journalist Ernest Granson.