Conclusion. Former soldier and diplomat Rory Stewart travels through the Middle East to places of importance in these fields to TE Lawrence, and examines the parallels between the region in the aftermath of World War One and today's Western intervention. A camel trek through the desert of Wadi Rum, a tour of Damascus - chosen by Lawrence as the prospective capital of a new Arab nation - and a foot patrol with American soldiers in Baghdad feature in his examination of the region, where politics and the military have long been a potent mix.