[Oberon]

As for the Arabs, they would have not noticed much difference between themselves in Lawrence's day and in the 13th century. Today, look at Baghdad, look at the Suadi's, look at Pakistan with it's nukes. All of that came out from scratch in a mere 80 years. Another 80 years will likely bring far, far more. Given the point from which they started, they are progressing far faster than the West. I am reminded also of Japan from 1864 to 1941.

Hmmm. I'm not certain that Arab "progress" in this case amounts to much more than the appropriation of Western technology. Have there been significant cultural changes amid the laptops and cellphones, or has Western-style communications infrastructure simply helped to create the best-connected 14-century Islamic state ever?

On the outside we see modern office buildings and airports in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. On the inside, is there a significant change in Arabic thinking, or are they simply "progressing" toward the electronic caliphate, imposing sharia law with newfound Western efficiency?