Lawrence in Arabia War Deceit Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East Term Paper

Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East

Lawrence never received formal military training, but he achieved the rank of Colonel in the British Army. Discuss how he achieved the rank and compare his training to yours.

Lawrence initially studied archeology and architecture at Oxford; these pursuits first drew him to the Middle East. The knowledge he gained was instrumental in his securing a military position in the Middle East. Thanks to his knowledge of the Arab world and the Ottoman Empire, "he was sent to nurture the Arab revolt against Turkish rule, started by Sherif Hussein of Mecca with the aim of creating a single Arab state stretching from Syria to Yemen"(MacIntyre 2010). In contrast to my own training, the knowledge Lawrence obtained was largely experiential -- he did not study military theory in-depth or go through basic training and was iconoclastic and independent in his personality. Lawrence initially made an improbable officer: "since he fell below the minimum height standard of the British army, he needed a situation in which his abilities might outweigh his physical shortcomings" (Anderson 2013: 82).

Although he could be insolent and disrespectful of authority at times, he had a deep understanding of Middle Eastern culture and history that most men of his nationality and class lacked.The need for cultural understanding of the people with whom one is fighting with (and fighting against) is essential and multicultural education is now an integral part of preparing all soldiers for war. Lawrence is described as turning a ragtag bunch of Arab fighters with loosely constructed loyalties into a formidable force in a manner that no other man could have accomplished: his empathy and presence was such that he was able to gain the trust and respect of a large foreign force that fought amongst themselves almost constantly and his intellectual capacity allowed him to use his academic knowledge in a meaningful fashion in the 'real world.' While certain aspects of Lawrence's attitude would not be tolerated in the modern military force, he 'made up' for this with his tactical ability and willingness to evaluate the Arab people on their own terms, not simply through the lens of British prejudices.

Q2. Assess the leadership of Lawrence using the 17 dimensions from the cadet Leadership Assessment Report

On virtually every dimension of the leadership report, Lawrence may be commended for….....