89. Ambassador Robert ‘Bob’ Bowker - Understanding the Middle East: Lessons from Five Decades of Life and Work in the Region

The Voices of War

My guest today is Dr Robert ‘Bob’ Bowker whose career in the politics and analysis of the Middle East spans five decades. He spent 37 years as an Australian diplomat in the region, firstly on postings to Saudi Arabia (74-06), and Syria (79-81) and later as the Australian ambassador to Jordan (89-92), Egypt (05-08) as well as non-resident ambassador to Syria, Libya, Tunisia, and Sudan. Bob also held senior roles at the United Nations Relief and Works Program for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (1997-1998,) based in Gaza and Jerusalem. Following his diplomatic career, Bob spent more than a decade as an academic, firstly as an Adjunct Professor and later as an Honorary Fellow at the ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies. For a period of that time, Bob also served as an intelligence analyst with the Office of National Assessments. Bob recently published a memoir about his extensive career and personal attachment to the Middle East titled, ‘Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots: an Australian Diplomat in the Arab World’. Bob joins me today to discuss his book as well as his views on the state of the Middle East, its predominant and enduring fault lines, as well as the role of the West in the region. Some of the topics we covered are: · Bob’s introduction to Islam and the Arab World · Misrepresentation of the Arab World’s relationship with the West · Meaning of the book’s title and why it captures the sentiment of the Middle East · Importance of cross-cultural engagement for diplomatic success and understanding of power structures · Memorable cultural exchanges and their impact · The importance of history to societies of the Middle East · Western politicians' failure to consider culture and history when dealing with the Middle East · Analysis of the 2003 Iraq Invasion, its background, and failures · Australia’s involvement in the Iraq War · Whether Australia should debate a decision to go to war in the Parliament · Reconciling the tensions between national interests and promoting certain values · Bob’s work in Palestine with United Nations Relief and Works Program for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) · Analysis of the Palestine and Israel conflict and why peace remains untenable · Why the ‘Two State Solution’ is dead · The unwavering US support for Israel and the possibility of change · The future of Iran’s relationship with the West and the US · Prospects of Chinese success in mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia