Transcript Middle East-Geography -crossroads for the people of Africa, Asia, and Europe -an enormous diversity of people, belief systems, and cultures -oil (brought power-important.

Middle East-Geography
-crossroads for the people of Africa, Asia, and Europe
-an enormous diversity of people, belief systems, and cultures
-oil (brought power-important to global economy)
-oil is why countries around the world take an active interest in middle
eastern affairs
-limited water supply (conflicts over water rights)
Geography
• Persian Gulf
• Strait of Hormuz
• Suez Canal (important link between Europe and
Asia)
*****Are all trade routes for petroleum exports
to nations around the world
• Muslims
– Sunni (conservative)
– Shiites (progressive)
– Kurds (non-arab muslims:Syria, Turkey)
Jews
Christians
• religious, racial, and cultural prejudices
Israeli/Palestinian conflict
• People of Arab and Jewish decent fight over homeland. (Jewish
Zionist)
• 1947 United Nations divide land half and half (Israel/Palestine)
• Arabs did not accept this agreement
• Wanted to restore Palestine
• 1948 Israel invaded by 6 Arab States
• Arabs were defeated
• 700, 000 Arabs become refugees (refused entry by
neighboring Arab countries)
• Refugee camps
• Growing ethnic tension
•
•
•
•
•
PLO-Palestine Liberation Organization (1964)
Led by Yasir Arafat
Designed to destroy Israel
Terrorist attacks on Israel
Intifada-violent demonstrations by young Palestinians
SIX DAY WAR
•
•
•
•
1973-Egypt and Syria launch a
war against Israel
Israelites: acquisition of Golan
Heights, West Bank and the
Gaza strip
as a result of the war oil prices
sky rocket
OPEC:Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries
(refused to sell oil to countries
friendly with Israel)
Peace Attempt
• Camp David Accords (1978)
• Jimmy Carter(USA), Anwar Sadat (Egypt),
Prime Minister Menachim (Israel)
• Israel would return lands taken from Egypt
in exchange for peace between the two
countries
Peace Attempt
Middle East Peace Conference (1991)
Oslo Accords (1993)- Itzhak Rabin (Israel)
and Yasir Arafat (PLO)
– gave Palestinians self-gov. over Gaza strip
– PLO ended opposition to Israel's existence
Conflicts remain
because of terrorist groups
• Iranian Revolution
– Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni
• Restoring conservative Islamic fundamental beliefs
– Extremely hostile to the West
– No separation of church and gov.
– Rights taken away from women
– Encourage Muslims in other countries to overthrow secular
governments
• Iran-Iraq war (1980)
– Sadaam Hussein- dictator in Iraq (Sunni)
– Border dispute
– Lasted 8 years
• Persian Gulf War (1990)
–
–
–
–
1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait and seized its oil fields
United States orders a trade embargo on Iraq
Iraq refused to withdraw and Kuwait was liberated
Hoped this would get rid of Sadaam Hussein as a
dictator, but did not
• The Iraq War
– 2001
– Prove they did not have WMD’s according to United
Nations requirements
– Invasion of Iraq and taking down Sadaam Hussein
– Troops start to leave in 2011 (December)
• The Talliban in Afghanistan
– Imposed strict religious beliefs
– al Queda-Islamic terrorist group
– Osama Bin Laden-al Queda terrorist leader
• War on Terrorism (2001)-goal to stabilize religion and
establish democratic government
• Continued importance of
the Middle East to the
global economy is
based on its quantity of
oil reserves
• Economic development
is limited because of
political instability
• Israel
– includes women in all facets of society
(democratic)
• Iran and Afghanistan
– more traditional
– women do not have many rights
• Saudi Arabia
– women have the right to vote
– Do not have the right to drive