Summary
"The eruption of democracy movements across the Middle East and North Africa is, even in its early stages, the most important development of the early 21st century." These were the words of Foreign Secretary William Hague May 2011. Events from Cairo to Benghazi have shaken the very foundations of the Middle East, and with it the West's longstanding friendships with Arab dictators. But what will happen next?
In this week's Analysis, Edward Stourton meets Foreign Secretary Hague and explores the map of the new Middle East as seen from London, Washington and Brussels. Amid the talk of massive economic investment, customs unions, and a newfound support for democratic transition, what will really change in terms of Western relations with the Middle East?
The "Arab Spring" came just as the world began to recover from the 2008 crash -- with oil prices already high. Edward looks at how the economic pressures will shape our policy, and explores divisions within the EU -- with some nations afraid of opening up to the Arab world, while others are pushing for it.
Support for Israel has long been a cornerstone of Western interests in the region, but recent comments by British leaders and the US President about "1967 borders" have left many in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv seething. In the new Middle East, what future do Britain and the US see for Israel and the Palestinians -- and will it change things enough to make a difference?
Western foreign policy on the Middle East has been through massive convulsions -- from die-hard "realism" that saw close relations with dictators to the "neo-conservatism" that called for the invasion of Iraq. So what is now driving our new vision for the region?
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | Thank you for downloading Analysis from BBC Radio 4. |
| 0:40.0 | This week, William Haig's Middle East, Edward Sturden interviews Britain's Foreign Secretary |
| 0:46.2 | and investigates how democratic revolutions in Arab countries are changing Western policy forever. |
| 0:55.8 | It was an historic euphoric moment. When the people want something they get it not the Americans not the English not anybody but they |
| 1:11.3 | did it I was sort of not anybody but the Egyptians. |
| 1:13.0 | And what sort of conversations going on in government at that point because it did as you say take everyone really by surprise. |
| 1:19.0 | Well much of our immediate concern was about the safety of British citizens, evacuating people from Cairo |
| 1:25.2 | and that kind of thing. |
| 1:27.6 | The revolutions in Egypt and the Arab world gave William Haig, the Foreign Secretary, |
| 1:32.0 | his first real taste of international crisis |
| 1:34.3 | management. They've also been a test of his reputation as a politician with a |
| 1:38.8 | sense of history and with the intellectual heft to give strategic shape to British foreign policy. |
| 1:45.0 | It's moved us rapidly on to what does this really mean for the world and to my argument that |
| 1:51.0 | this is the main thing to happen in the 21st century so far, more than |
| 1:54.9 | the financial crisis of 2008, more than 9-11. |
| 1:58.6 | This is the main event we have experienced so far in this century and that it will run on for many |
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