Lecture & Discussion

»To Begin the World Over Again. Learning from Lawrence of Arabia for Afghanistan«

featuring Dr. John C. Hulsman, CEO, John C. Hulsman Enterprises

”Better to let them do it imperfectly than do it perfectly yourself, for it is their country, their war, and your time is short” (Lawrence of Arabia)


The war in Afghanistan has become one of the major challenges for Barack Obama`s presidency. The prospects of this involvement are strongly debated at home and abroad. Can we expect long-term consolidation of peace in the face of the current critical situation? John Hulsman recommends to take the retrospective on Lawrence of Arabia. Life and work of T.E. Lawrence still offer revelations, that are relevant up until today. Based on his experiences and knowledge of the Arabian world he constructed a political vision on nation building by weaving together a gripping narrative of Lawrence´s Middle East adventures and highlighting his astute political thinking, John Hulsman teases out many lessons to be learned from Lawrence about the Arab world.

Dr. John C. Hulsman is an expert on foreign policy who has specialized on transatlantic issues and the Middle East. His expertise is particularly centered on forging common transatlantic policies regarding Iran, Iraq and the Middle East and made him one of the most preferred commentators. He regularly appears on leading American and European media outlets such as CBS, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and BBC. He regularly publishes articles on International Relations for publications such as the Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Policy Review, Newsweek, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Welt and Le Monde. John Hulsman is a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations.