T.+E.+Lawrence

==LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1888 - 1935) ==

__Biography__: Born an Englishman, he graduated from Oxford with honors in 1910, and worked in the field of archaeology in Mesopotamia. He served as a British "liason" to the Arabs beginning in 1916. One of his last efforts was as a delegate at the Paris Peace Conference where he argued for Arab independence, which failed, resulting in the mandates of Transjordan, Syria and Iraq. Lawrence died at the age of 47 after receiving a head injury in a motorcycle accident near his home.

__Involvement in Arab Revolt__: Lawrence fought alongside the Arab irregular troops with Emir Faisal during the extensive guerrilla operations against the Ottoman Empire on the Hijaz Railroad. His expertise and ability to communicate between Britain and the Arabs greatly contributed to the success of the Allied forces in World War I. __Post-War Efforts:__ Lawrence had a vision for the Middle East that involved minimal foreign control, and presented a map to Britain's War Cabinet (pictured left). He considered tribal and religious divisions when creating the borders, which resulted in a separate Armenian state and combines parts of Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. However, the Allied Powers focused more on personal benefit for their nations and discounted Lawrence's plan to a degree.

__Quotes:__ "All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible," (from //The Seven Pillars of Wisdom//).