Bari Weiss and Simon Sebag Montefiore LIVE on October 1

On October 1, Free Press founder and CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss returns to the stage for her first live event in nearly a year, to sit down with renowned historian Dr. Simon Sebag Montefiore for the opening night of his U.S. book tour for The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East.

The two will meet in uptown Manhattan for a wide-ranging conversation about the history of the modern Middle East, from 1900 to the forces shaping it now.

Paying subscribers get early access to tickets until Thursday, September 9, at 12 p.m. ET. Choose from a selection of ticket tiers, including options that come with a signed copy of The Cauldron and, for just 12 guests, an intimate post-event dinner with Simon. If you’re a paying subscriber, scroll down for your access code. If not, become one today!

Since September 11, 2001, the Middle East has shaped U.S. foreign policy and dominated the American mind. Twenty years fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Nearly nine years fighting the insurgency in Iraq. The Arab Spring. Wars over land and nationhood. And today, a battle against Iran with no end in sight.

Through it all, Simon argues, one truth endures: America’s quagmires in the Middle East stem from a deep misunderstanding of the region—on both the left and the right.

Simon, author of worldwide bestsellers Jerusalem: The Biography, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Young Stalin, The Romanovs: 1613–1918, and The World: A Family History of Humanity, has set out to understand not only the last 25 years in the Middle East, but the last 125. From kings and terrorists to diplomats and dictators—and the cultures and faiths that underpin them all—he brings to life the history essential to understanding the region today. His newest book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East, quickly rose to be a No. 1 bestseller in the UK.

Join Bari and Simon on October 1 for a rare live conversation—and the first U.S. stop on Simon’s book tour for The Cauldron.