Jeremy Bowen on the dramatic eruption of opposition to the Assad regime in Syria. "The rebels found a lot of recruits among young Sunni men who'd been driven off the land to the cities by years of drought. The regime had done nothing to help them, and they were angry." The civil war that resulted has created chaos in a country which has a central role in the region.

Jeremy Bowen reflects on the present and the past of the Middle East, after reporting from the region for more than a quarter of a century. He combines first-hand accounts from the front line with an in-depth look into the region's history. He has witnessed endless wars between individuals, religious groups and full-sized states, jostling for military, political and economic power. He has interviewed dictators, fanatics and fundamentalists as well as the ordinary people caught up in their dangerous games. In that time, the past has always been present, providing motivation and political ammunition . Bowen has made headlines himself and he has paid a personal price, coming under fire and losing a colleague in the course of reporting - on the worst day, he says, in his life.

Producers: Cara Swift and Ben Crighton. Show less