What the West Gets Wrong About the Middle East | Simon Sebag Montefiore

About this episode

Historian and bestselling author Simon Sebag Montefiore joins Michael Moynihan to discuss his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East , and the history behind one of the world's most contested regions. They examine the myths surrounding Israel's founding, the Palestinian Nakba, the rise and fall of Arab nationalism, and the emergence of political Islam. Montefiore challenges the popular decolonization narrative, explains why the Iranian Revolution of 1979 transformed the region, and considers why Western audiences, particularly younger generations, have embraced increasingly distorted versions of Middle Eastern history. Along the way, they discuss antisemitism, the…