{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/6a22b52017f169d6433fb960/6ab2982df98781f91d71d293?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"439. The Cauldron: How the Modern Middle East Was Really Made","description":"<p>In this episode of <em>Battleground: The Big Picture</em>, host Saul David sits down with prize-winning, internationally bestselling historian Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss his book, <em>The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East</em>. </p><p><br></p><p>Montefiore shares the intense, challenging process behind crafting a fact-based, source-grounded history of the region from 1900 to the present day—a project designed to cut through modern social media disinformation, anti-factual discourse, and toxic polarisation. He highlights the importance of moving beyond a narrow, traditional lens to recognise neglected humanitarian crises in North Africa, Syria, and Sudan, emphasising that every human life carries equal moral weight. </p><p><br></p><p>The conversation explores key historical turning points across four distinct phases of modern Middle Eastern history: </p><p><br></p><ul><li>The agency of local regional leaders, contrasting self-made figures like King Abdulaziz Al Saud with traditional top-down imperial narratives. </li><li>The complex collapse of the Ottoman Empire, early nationalist movements, and the tragic targeting of minorities such as the Armenians. </li><li>Strategic military lessons drawn from historical operations like the 1976 Entebbe raid and why lasting security requires political compromise alongside military capability. </li><li>The deeper, overarching battle of ideas within Islam, contrasting radical revolutionary Islamism with more open-minded, cosmopolitan visions. </li><li>The forgotten origin story of the region&#39;s modern borders, explaining how most Middle Eastern nation-states were created in the wake of the two World Wars. </li></ul><p><br></p><p>Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com</p><p>Follow us on:</p><p>X - @PodBattleground</p><p>Instagram - podbattleground</p><p>Producer: James Hodgson</p><p>A Goalhanger Podcast</p>","author_name":"Goalhanger"}