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To Begin the World over Again: Lawrence of Arabia from Damascus to Baghdad
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
- GenresNonfictionHistory
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 13, 2020
To Begin the World Over Again (2009) is more of a history lesson than a biography. True, it maps out his life from childhood to early death, referencing the character traits and events found in the movie and in other biographies. However, Hulsman glosses over many points of T. E. Lawrence’s life—such as his capture and torture by the Turks—in favor of his main theme. The gist of the book is discovering what lessons modern-day leaders such as Obama (whom the author calls out by name) can learn from the successes and failures of Lawrence and other WWI figures.
Without recapping the whole book, I want to mention a couple things that jumped out to me.
First, the failures of the post-war “nation building,” at least as relate to the Middle East, had their roots in much earlier problems. At the very beginning of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turkish Emipire, Hussein bin Ali—King of Hejaz and the father of Prince Feisal—had been trying to find a path between a rock and a hard place: that is, the Turks and the Entente. Meanwhile, the British had taken huge hits in Gallipoli, Kut, and other battles. As Hulsman describes it, the coming together of the British and Arab sides was as much about self-preservation than anything else. It put both parties in a mutual dependency that was particularly disadvantageous to Hussein (p. 43).
Second, the power of interpersonal relationships on the world stage can’t be overstated. This is something I’ve sensed from every Lawrence biography I’ve read, but it’s especially visible here. Lawrence, famously, was a charismatic man who could win over allies on both sides of the political spectrum, such as Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. Likewise, the brothers-in-arms friendship Lawrence developed with Prince Feisal, coupled with an emphasis on personal honor, was crucial to his motivation for joining the political scene in Versailles and supporting Feisal throughout the negotiations.
Hulsman’s theme is that this charisma and genuine connection with people was Lawrence’s double-edged sword. As a strength, it meant Lawrence stood by Feisal even against the British authorities (p. 141). As a weakness, it led Lawrence to forsake his own socio-political principles—evident in his Twenty-Seven Articles—to place his personal duty to Feisal over a greater duty to the people living in what became Iraq (p. 180). Hulsman posits that the construct of Iraq created by figures such as Churchill, Lawrence, and Gertrude Bell resulted in an illegitimate government (p. 182) which ended in tragedy and long-term affects such as the rise of Saddam Hussein (p. 206).
Much of this information can also be found in the Korda and Mack biographies, but I felt like Hulsman’s book was more laser focused on the Versailles era, successfully so. Parts of the book seemed a bit repetitive—he tends to say the same things multiple times in only slightly different ways. Overall, though, this is a worthy read for those interested in Lawrence. Hulsman neither idolizes nor villainizes him, leaving you at times inspired and other times disturbed by what transpired. Other biographers seem to focus on Lawrence’s state of mind during this era, which is no less important, but I appreciated this focused look at the inconsistencies in his political ideals and actions (doubtless influenced by his likely PTSD).
Without recapping the whole book, I want to mention a couple things that jumped out to me.
First, the failures of the post-war “nation building,” at least as relate to the Middle East, had their roots in much earlier problems. At the very beginning of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turkish Emipire, Hussein bin Ali—King of Hejaz and the father of Prince Feisal—had been trying to find a path between a rock and a hard place: that is, the Turks and the Entente. Meanwhile, the British had taken huge hits in Gallipoli, Kut, and other battles. As Hulsman describes it, the coming together of the British and Arab sides was as much about self-preservation than anything else. It put both parties in a mutual dependency that was particularly disadvantageous to Hussein (p. 43).
Second, the power of interpersonal relationships on the world stage can’t be overstated. This is something I’ve sensed from every Lawrence biography I’ve read, but it’s especially visible here. Lawrence, famously, was a charismatic man who could win over allies on both sides of the political spectrum, such as Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. Likewise, the brothers-in-arms friendship Lawrence developed with Prince Feisal, coupled with an emphasis on personal honor, was crucial to his motivation for joining the political scene in Versailles and supporting Feisal throughout the negotiations.
Hulsman’s theme is that this charisma and genuine connection with people was Lawrence’s double-edged sword. As a strength, it meant Lawrence stood by Feisal even against the British authorities (p. 141). As a weakness, it led Lawrence to forsake his own socio-political principles—evident in his Twenty-Seven Articles—to place his personal duty to Feisal over a greater duty to the people living in what became Iraq (p. 180). Hulsman posits that the construct of Iraq created by figures such as Churchill, Lawrence, and Gertrude Bell resulted in an illegitimate government (p. 182) which ended in tragedy and long-term affects such as the rise of Saddam Hussein (p. 206).
Much of this information can also be found in the Korda and Mack biographies, but I felt like Hulsman’s book was more laser focused on the Versailles era, successfully so. Parts of the book seemed a bit repetitive—he tends to say the same things multiple times in only slightly different ways. Overall, though, this is a worthy read for those interested in Lawrence. Hulsman neither idolizes nor villainizes him, leaving you at times inspired and other times disturbed by what transpired. Other biographers seem to focus on Lawrence’s state of mind during this era, which is no less important, but I appreciated this focused look at the inconsistencies in his political ideals and actions (doubtless influenced by his likely PTSD).
June 15, 2010
T.E. Lawrence is perhaps best known as "Lawrence of Arabia"--the dashing British warrior/leader of the Arab armies during World War I. But Lawrence also developed a vision for nation building in the Middle East. He advocated that real change could only come by understanding and working within existing power structures and that attempts to build new nations from the top down by imposing political patterns from western cultures would not and could not be successful.
In the Treaty of Versailles, which carved up the Middle East among the victorious western powers, the British broke the promises that Lawrence had made to Britain's Arab allies. Despite this huge setback, Lawrence continued to pressure Britain to change its top down colonial approach. The author points out however that even Lawrence eventually violated his own vision when he successfully arranged to have Faisal, his wartime ally and friend, become leader of Iraq.
Hulsman suggests that modern leaders, especially the US, are repeating the mistakes made by Britain and its allies in the early 20th century. Instead we should look to Lawrence for guidance in our dealings with the Middle East.
In the Treaty of Versailles, which carved up the Middle East among the victorious western powers, the British broke the promises that Lawrence had made to Britain's Arab allies. Despite this huge setback, Lawrence continued to pressure Britain to change its top down colonial approach. The author points out however that even Lawrence eventually violated his own vision when he successfully arranged to have Faisal, his wartime ally and friend, become leader of Iraq.
Hulsman suggests that modern leaders, especially the US, are repeating the mistakes made by Britain and its allies in the early 20th century. Instead we should look to Lawrence for guidance in our dealings with the Middle East.
November 24, 2015
What an eye-opener this book was to me! My knowledge of T.E. Lawrence pretty much begins and ends with David Lean’s movie, so I was glad to learn a bit more of the life of this fascinating person. Beyond that, I learned quite a bit more about the politics of his era and our own, and of the dangers of nation-building – even when intentions are good. The history of the Middle East following WWI resonates today. Hulsman describes the complex relationships and events with clarity and interest.
April 13, 2019
This book fits a niche for me. One of my favorite movies is Lawrence of Arabia. I pulled this book off the shelf because I haven't read any of Lawrence's books or any books about him. The book also has a geopolitical perspective, and that's another area of interest for me. Well done and a relatively quick read.
November 8, 2018
Excellent history of Lawrence and his futile attempts after WWI to place Prince Feisal in power in Syria, revealing the duplicity and failed ideas of Britain’s foreign policy.
August 21, 2010
If you want to know why the Middle East is in the sorry state it is today just read this book. It's an engrossing account of the Arab revolt led by Lawrence of Arabia and the ramifications of the various meetings and conferences held by the European powers which led to the creation of Iraq.
May 14, 2017
Great insights on why current nation building concepts are not working. A must read for all in politics, military and NGO
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews