The Making Of The Modern Middle East: Lawrenc...

How does Greece’s Byzantine and Ottoman past shape its future? In this episode, Helen Carr speaks to journalist and author Sean Matthews about Greece’s shifting geopolitical role and alliances. Caught between wars raging in both Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Greece is an is ...  Show more

Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003. In September 2025 he came to Intelligence Squared for an evening of laughs and reflection on his life i ...  Show more

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and historian Eugene Rogan, professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at Oxford, as they delve into the complex history of the Arab world, from the Ottoman conquest in 1516 to today’s geopolitical crises of the modern Middle East. Throu ...  Show more

What was popular entertainment like for everyday Arab societies in Middle Eastern cities during the long nineteenth century? In what ways did café culture, theatre, illustrated periodicals, cinema, cabarets, and festivals serve as key forms of popular entertainment for Arabic-spe ...  Show more

Ali Shihabi is an author and commentator, specialising in GeoPolitics with a focus on Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. Ali has authored two books: “The Saudi Kingdom: Between the Jihadi Hammer and the Iranian Anvil”, published as part of Princeton University’s Middle East series ...  Show more

King Faisal I of Iraq was born in the age of the Ottoman Empire. A key figure in the Arab revolt, his patience, curiosity and diplomacy endeared him to many, including the man who would come to be known as Lawrence of Arabia. But in hindsight, did Faisal drive Arab nationalism or ...  Show more