In the First World War, T.E Lawrence helped to unite feuding Arab tribes into a formidable guerrilla army which helped to topple the Ottoman Empire. But today Lawrence has an extraordinary new relevance. His experiences of defeating a foreign military occupation, and of leading an insurgency, have led to him being held up as the man who cracked fighting in the Middle East.

Conclusion. Former soldier and diplomat Rory Stewart travels through the Middle East to places of importance in these fields to TE Lawrence, and examines the parallels between the region in the aftermath of World War One and today's Western intervention. A camel trek through the desert of Wadi Rum, a tour of Damascus - chosen by Lawrence as the prospective capital of a new Arab nation - and a foot patrol with American soldiers in Baghdad feature in his examination of the region, where politics and the military have long been a potent mix.