Jeremy Bowen explores Gaza, the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas, the Islamic resistance movement. It's not a place you would chose for a Mediterranean holiday, though the Palestinians used to dream of developing a tourist industry, he says. "Israel could recapture Gaza in days if it wanted to. But then it would be responsible for around a million children and about the same number of angry adults. Palestinians can't destroy a state as strong as Israel. But Israel can't bludgeon Palestinians into submission either." 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: Mark Savage and Cara Swift.

Jeremy Bowen looks at some of the lessons of the past 25 years to find out what happens next in the Middle East. "Millions of lucky Europeans sun themselves on Mediterranean beaches this summer," he says. "None of us can afford to ignore what is happening just beyond the horizon, in the Middle East." 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.

BBC Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen looks back on the rise and fall of the Islamic State group. "It looks now as if the battle against the jihadists of Islamic State is being won, they made the mistake of uniting their enemies against them," he says. But "their defeat will not be the end of the jihadist ideology." 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.

Jeremy Bowen on Turkey's dramatic changes under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has undone Ataturk's legacy of a secular state with the army at the centre of power. "For the first time since Ataturk died in 1938, the Turks have a charismatic leader who is remaking the country," he says. "Erdogan's loyalists are delighted with their new country....The secular half of the country is in despair." 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: Ben Crighton and Cara Swift.

Jeremy Bowen analyses the conflict in Yemen and the role of Saudi Arabia. "The war has been catastrophic, bending and breaking Yemen, which was already fragile," he says. Saudi Arabia has launched a campaign of bombing and shelling in Yemen because of fears of Iranian involvement with its poor and divided neighbour. "A glance at relatively recent history might have told the Saudis that there is no such thing as an easy war in Yemen." 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: Ben Crighton and Cara Swift.

Jeremy Bowen considers the many different layers of war in Syria, which have seen Bashar al Assad remain in power. "The outside world wrote off Bashar al Assad from the beginning," he says. "The assumption was that he'd fall, like the dictators who'd been overthrown already in the Arabs' short spring before the onset of a long winter. But that ignored his genuine support." 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.

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.

The overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, remembered by the BBC's Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen. 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: Mark Savage and Cara Swift.

The popular revolution in Egypt during the Arab Spring, remembered by the BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen. "Not for the first time in history," he says "the passion of the streets was outdone by organization of long established groups - in Egypt, the military, and the Muslim Brotherhood" 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: Mark Savage and Cara Swift.