Nigel Ashton – Ilkley Literature Festival

Nigel Ashton – False Prophets

Nigel Ashton, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science and specialist in the modern politics of the Middle East, explores how successive Prime Ministers – from Anthony Eden to Tony Blair – have sought to extend British influence in the region.

Ashton highlights the misconceptions British leaders have made about the area and explores how their own fears and insecurities made them conjure existential threats out of the sands of the Middle East.