06/02/2010 by jmw.

Those who have seen Rory Stewart’s recent BBC TV documentary  The Legacy of Lawrence of Arabia might appreciate the passages below, taken from a private letter from Lawrence to a journalist written in 1927:

“The Arabs have their chance now - for what they are worth - of proving themselves capable of self-control, and Irak is nearly our first ‘brown’ dominion.”

“I could (and did) retire with some self-contentment, with the whole job done. I wanted the Arabs to have leave to make their own mess: and not to go on holding their hands to save them from messes. People learn by falling down, like babies.”

The letter was published in the National Review, 10 September 1963

Posted in quotes | Print | No Comments »

06/02/2010 by jmw.

Current World Archaeology/Great Arab Revolt Project

one-day conference
Lawrence, the Arabs, and the genesis of modern guerrilla warfare

Saturday 15 May 2010
Clore Management Centre
Birkbeck University of London
Bloomsbury

On the 75th anniversary of T.E. Lawrence’s death, three leading academic specialists assess his role in the desert war of 1916-1918 and his relevance in understanding the conflicts of the last 90 years. Neil Faulkner and Nick Saunders are joint directors of a pioneering new field project that is investigating the archaeological remains of the conflict along the line of the former Hijaz Railway. Jeremy Wilson, author of Lawrence of Arabia: the authorised biography of T E Lawrence, is widely recognised as the world’s leading authority on his subject. Together, on the basis of radically new evidence and interpretation, they offer a day of illustrated talks and discussion that will reassess Lawrence, his role, and his legacy. And they will draw some stark lessons: about the parallels between the failure of the Ottoman Empire in 1918 and unfolding disaster of the ‘war on terror‘ today.

Download the timetable and prospectus (PDF)

Posted in www.telawrence.info, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »