Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan often talks about history to make his point on present-day developments. He did so again Oct. 13 in a speech in Istanbul focusing on the era of World War I. And just as he always does in evaluating any troublesome event, he blamed foreign meddling for all the bloodbaths in the Middle East, pointing as proof to Lawrence of Arabia, who helped organize an effective Arab revolt against the Ottomans.

“There were spies in the Arab deserts to destroy the Ottomans. Spies are at work today, too,” Erdogan said. “There are today, unfortunately, volunteer Lawrences. Today’s Lawrences are members of their own societies. They are disguised as religious men, servicemen, journalists, authors and, more important, terrorists who emerge as new Lawrences trying to set our region on fire. There are, unfortunately, new Lawrences applying the stipulations of the Sykes-Picot agreement in Turkey and our near geography, hiding behind promises of service, freedom of thought and media, a war of independence or jihad.”

Throughout his speech, Erdogan kept on painting the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and US-based Turkish Sunni cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers as pawns of imperialistic powers, and therefore fitting the description of today’s Lawrences shouldering this legendary British spy’s mission today trying to weaken Turkey. “Each conflict in this region was designed a century ago,” when the borders of the Middle East were redrawn after World War I, Erdogan said. “It is our duty to stop this.”

On Oct. 12, Erdogan slammed the PKK and the pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party (HDP), saying, “We don’t have any business with those taking orders from a terror organization.” That was a reaction to the Kurds’ Kobani protests across the country that left behind 40 dead.