Trump and Lawrence of Arabia:
Gary claims that the grateful Syrians have given Trump a new nickname in northern Syria. It is Abu Ivanka al-Amriki. It means “Father of Ivanka, the American”. This is reminiscent of those days during the Arab Revolt during the Great War, or World War 1, one hundred years ago. Naturally it reminds me of the Arabs calling T. E. Lawrence “El Orens” among other titles. T. E. Lawrence under General Allenby helped to liberate the Arabs of the day from the Ottoman Turks. Lawrence and Allenby defeated the Turks in the Battle of Damascus in the autumn of 1918, one hundred years late next year. Are the Arabs expecting Trump to liberate them from the tyrant, Assad, and the Russians. If Trump can do this by jawboning the Russians, trying to separate them from the Iranians and their client Dictator Assad, and he can fire a few Tomahawk missiles now and then to show he means business, so much the better. Maybe they won’t even have to have a Battle of Damascus, which was quite dramatic. The Turks deserted, and Lawrence rode into town in an old car the next day. I bet Trump won’t have to even ride into Damascus. By the way Lawrence visited Damascus, too, and had various other adventures with the resident Turks in town. Trump can hopefully do it all by using diplomatic means as well as his new Secretary of State, Tillerson. If Trump does succeed in ousting Assad and defeating IS in the Middle East maybe the Arabs will call him by an even more memorable title. Maybe someday he will have a movie made about him like Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawrence of Arabia, Sidi Lawrence, El Orens, is a major character in Key to Lawrence Special Edition published by Cheops Books LLC.
T.E. Lawrence
