To Begin the World over Again

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Through his swashbuckling adventures during the improbable Arab Revolt of World War I, T.E. Lawrence developed a unique philosophy for working with developing peoples. He then embarked on a heroic effort, harnessing his celebrity to force the British to keep the promises they made to their Arab allies. Lawrence famously said of British efforts to further Arab €œBetter to let them do it imperfectly than do it perfectly yourself, for it is their country, their war, and your time is short.€ He applied his extensive knowledge of the Arab world to a political vision for nation building in the Middle East whose insights continue to resonate today. In the end, however, Lawrence€™s efforts to stop Western powers from carving up the Middle East at Versailles fell tragically short, laying the foundations for the ongoing instability in that region.Weaving together a gripping historical narrative of Lawrence€™s dramatic Middle East adventur