When it comes to intervention in the Middle East, there is one word that sums up British hubris. And that word is Suez. But did Britain learn from one of our most infamous mistakes in the Middle East? Far from it. From opposing the construction of the Suez Canal, then repeatedly going to war to defend it, and most recently bombing Houthi rebels trying to disrupt Red Sea trade, Britain is preoccupied with this vital shipping route — and convinced it can change the course of history in the Middle East.

Ros Taylor talks to Nigel Ashton, professor of history at the London School of Economics and the author of False Prophets: British Leaders’ Fateful Fascination with the Middle East from Suez to Syria, about a disaster that dealt a fatal blow to British imperial ambition.

• “Eden saw Nasser as a dictator out of the Hitler and Mussolini mode, with his hands round Britain’s economic windpipe.” 

• “Blair had a remarkable case of historical amnesia.”

Written and presented by Ros Taylor. Produced by Jade Bailey. Original music by Dubstar. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Jam Tomorrow is a Podmasters production.

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