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Jeremy Bowen: Making Sense of the Modern Middle East

Politics &
Economics

Can the conflict in the Middle East be contained or will it engulf the whole region?

The October 7 Hamas led-terrorist attacks on Israel and the subsequent siege of Gaza by the Israeli military upended the Middle East. Can the conflict be contained or will the tensions between Israel and its antagonists Hezbollah and Iran escalate and engulf the Middle East in a regional war?

In October 2024 Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, who has been covering the Middle East since 1989, came to Intelligence Squared to reflect and make sense of what is happening in the region. Bowen has reported on all the most significant events that have shaped the region’s recent history – the long and ultimately failed Middle East peace process, the tragic events of 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the rise of Mohammed bin Salman and most recently the Israel/Hamas war. His deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences of its peoples makes him uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present.

Bowen sought to explain the historical context and political motivations behind today’s conflicts. He drew from his book The Making of the Modern Middle East and discussed his experiences reporting from countries as diverse as Netanyahu’s Israel, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Erdoğan’s Türkiye, recounting his meetings with ordinary people on the frontlines as well as their politicians and leaders. 

He also discussed the possible future scenarios facing the region and the ethical and practical challenges journalists face in reporting in conflict zones. 

Speakers for the motion

  • Jeremy Bowen

    BBC International Editor and author of The Making of the Modern Middle East

Speakers are subject to change.

Speakers

Speaker

Jeremy Bowen

BBC International Editor and author of The Making of the Modern Middle East

BBC International Editor. From 1995-2000, he was based in Jerusalem as the BBC’s Middle East Correspondent, winning awards from television festivals in New York and Monte Carlo, as well as a Best Breaking News report from the Royal Television Society on the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. During the Kosovo crisis of 1999, he reported extensively from the region, often in dangerous conditions, which included being robbed at gunpoint by bandits whilst reporting from the Albanian border. He was BBC Middle East Editor from 2005 to XX. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including Six Days: How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East, The Arab Uprisings and The Making of the Modern Middle East.