Transcript Middle East - ProCon.org

Middle East
Global Studies
Mr. Groce
The Land
► Originally,
the Middle East was covered with
dense tropical forests and swamps.
 This vegetation rotted, which resulted in rich oil
fields.
► The
river valleys formed the “cradles of
civilizations” due to their fertile land.
 The Fertile Crescent
 Nile
Deserts
► The
shifting winds in the M.E. create large
deserts.
 The Empty Quarter
 Negev
► The
Bedouins, a nomadic people, move to
where water is available (not aimlessly).
 More recently they are settling.
Cities
► Where
water was available, cities grew.
 Baghdad
 Cairo
 Istanbul
the heart of cities is its sūq.
► Many of the cities have been centers of
trade for thousands of years.
► Where freshwater is not available, some
countries have created it through the
process of desalination or building dams.
► At
Availability of Freshwater
Desalination
The People
► More
than half the people of the M.E. are
Arabs.
► Several countries comprise of many peoples
 Iraq: Arabs, Kurds
 Turkey: Turks, Armenian, Arabs
 Israel: Israeli (Jewish), Palestinian (Arab Muslims)
Questions?
In groups of 3, discuss your
questions that you wrote.
OR
Review what is CLEAR and UNCLEAR
regarding the preceding slides.
3 Major Religions of the M.E.
Religion People
Judais
m
Jews
Holy
Book
Torah
(1st five
books of
the
Bible)
Christia Christian Bible
s
nity
Islam
Muslims
Important Theism Building
Person
Abraham
(prophet)
Mono
Synagog
ue
Jesus (Son
of God)
Mono
Church
Mono
Mosque
Qur’an Muhammad
(later
prophet)
3 Major Religions of the M.E.
Religion
Beliefs
Judaism
Abraham made a covenant with God that called
for the Jews to worship and obey God for “a land
flowing with milk and honey” (Israel). Waiting
for a messiah to save them.
Christianity
Jesus was the Son of God (messiah). Anyone
who believes and follows Jesus can be forgiven,
saved from hell, and rewarded with everlasting
life and happiness after death in heaven.
Islam
An angel spoke to Muhammad and told him to
write the Qur’an. Believe in Allah (God) and
practice the Five Pillars of Faith. Follow and
protect the Islamic faith by military exertion
against non-Muslim combatants (jihad).
Five Pillars of Faith
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Confession that there is not other god but God
and that Muhammad is the messenger of God
Pray five times a day facing Mecca.
Give money to charity each year.
Once a year, during Ramadān, Muslims must fast
every day from dawn to dusk.
Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in
their lifetime. Pilgrims pray towards the Kaaba
(Kabah), a large cubicle in the center of the
Sacred Mosque.
Questions?
In groups of 3, discuss your
questions that you wrote.
OR
Review what is CLEAR and UNCLEAR
regarding the preceding slides.
Persian Gulf History
► European
nations were establishing
commercial bases in the Middle East during
the 1500s.
► By the 1800s, Britain emerged as the
dominant power in the region.
► Now linked with India and Middle East
trading is made simple. =$
► Made treaties with the Gulf States, which
generally favored Britain.
► Other
nations would become interested with
the East and Britain would make treaties
that created a bond with Britain.
► Oil was found in the early 1900s, which
gave the Middle East a new importance.
► Iran became nationalistic and tried to turn
anti-western.
► Western nations boycotted Iranian oil and
within two years the economy collapsed.
► The British company was restored.
Arab – Israeli Relations
► At
the core was disagreement over who
owns the land of Israel, once called
Palestine.
► Jews from Europe began to immigrate into
Palestine and by the 1930s about 1/3 of the
population of Palestine was Jewish.
► During WWII, a large number of Jews fled
to Palestine to escape Nazi persecution.
► The Arabs and Jews did not get along for
that reason.
► Riots
broke out.
► In 1947, the United Nations, voted to partition
Palestine into two states—one Arab and one
Jewish.
► Arabs refused to accept the partition, and in 1948
the forces of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Trans-Jordan,
and Iraq invaded Israel, where the Israeli army
defeated them.
► Since Israel won and occupied Arab territory,
about ¾ million Palestinian Arabs fled to
neighboring countries.
► 1967, the Six-Day War occurred.
►
►
►
►
►
1977, Israel and Egypt tried to create peace—
Camp David Accords.
Many nations felt that Egypt let down the Arabs.
Three major issues were not resolved:
1. Control of East Jerusalem
2. Fate of the 1.8 million Palestinians in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip
3. Control of the Golan Heights
Intifada—1987, Palestinian uprising led by Yasir
Arafat. Many Arabs went into Israel to riot.
Even today, they are still fighting over the land in
issue. Palestinians are sending suicide bombers
into Israel.
War in the Gulf
► Khomeini,
a Shiite Muslim, came into power
in Iran and appealed to the Muslim leaders
in Iraq to try and spread an Islamic
revolution in Iraq, since Iraq had a nonreligious government.
► Saddam Hussein invaded Iran. This was a
bloody and costly war until it ended with a
United Nations-sponsored cease-fire.
Saddam Hussein
Ayatollah Khomeini
► USSR
supported Iran; U.S. supported Iraq.
► Iraq emerged with a strong military, but a
poor economy.
► Hussein invaded Kuwait to try and take the
oil rich country to build up the economy. He
said Kuwait unfairly drilled Iraqi oil.
► The United Nations called for Iraq to
withdraw. Iraq refused, so troops from the
U.S. and 35 other countries launched Desert
Storm.
► Hussein
responded by launching missiles at
Israel hoping Israel would get in the fight
and would lead Arab nations to support the
fight against Israel.
► His plan failed, and Iraq was driven out of
Kuwait—but not until Iraqi troops destroyed
buildings and set Kuwaiti oil wells on fire.
Questions?
In groups of 3, discuss your
questions that you wrote.
OR
Review what is CLEAR and UNCLEAR
regarding the preceding slides.
st
21
Century Middle East
► Saddam
Hussein repeatedly defied the United
Nations by not complying with inspections of
weapons.
► 1998, President Clinton ordered air strikes against
Iraq for not following U.N. rules.
Heavy as they are, the costs of action must be weighed against the
price of inaction. If Saddam defies the world and we fail to
respond, we will face a far greater threat in the future. Saddam will
strike again at his neighbors. He will make war on his own people.
And mark my words, he will develop weapons of mass destruction. He
will deploy them, and he will use them.
Because we're acting today, it is less likely that we will face these
dangers in the future.
► President Bill Clinton, Dec. 16, 1998 (transcript)
st
21
Century Middle East
► Osama
bin Laden financed and supported
attacks on the U.S.




1993
1998
2000
2001
World Trade Center bombing
U.S. Embassy bombings killing hundreds
attack on the USS Cole in Yemen
World Trade Center attack (9/11)
► The
United States responded by attacking
the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.
 Taliban was crippled, but is not gone.
Iraq War
► Using
international intelligence, the U.S. made the
case for liberating Iraq from Saddam Hussein,
citing his development of WMDs and the defiance
of the U.N.
► Congress approved the actions, and Iraq was
disabled with the help of 56 other nations.
► Saddam Hussein was captured, tried for war
crimes, and hung.
 The war crimes included: using chemical weapons on
Iranians and Kurds, including women and children.
Iraq War
► International
intelligence was flawed and
inspections could not locate WMDs.
 Some say weapons could have been moved to Syria
before the search was done.
► With
the help of the U.S., Iraqis finally were able
to vote for a constitution and a president.
 65% Shiite (Shi'a), 32% Sunni
 The elected President is a Shiite, while Saddam was a
Sunni.
►A
dictatorship was changed to a democracy.
Questions?
In groups of 3, discuss your
questions that you wrote.
OR
Review what is CLEAR and UNCLEAR
regarding the preceding slides.
Sectarian Violence
► Shiite
and Sunni Muslims are fighting over
control of Iraq.
► Shiites have a strong hold on the
government, while Sunni’s did under
Saddam.
► Some believe the solution is to attack
neighborhoods and civilians.
Islamic Division
y
Iran
► Currently,
Iran is pursuing programs to enrich
uranium for nuclear capabilities.
► The United Nations has announced that Iran
needs to stop!
 Iran has defied the U.N. and said “NO!”
► Sanctions
have been placed on Iran.
 Iran may view this as an act of aggression.
 Iran captured British naval soldiers that were claimed to
be in Iranian waters and held them hostage.
 They were released after a few weeks.
► What
► What
is next?
actions are on the table?
Questions?
In groups of 3, discuss your
questions that you wrote.
OR
Review what is CLEAR and UNCLEAR
regarding the preceding slides.
Iraqi Freedom
American History: Operation Iraqi Freedom