1

THE MODERN MIDDLE EAST

Ch. 31 Sec. 4
2
 Diversity Brings Challenges
3

 Kurds divided when Europeans drew

borders
Lived Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey
today
 1991 Kurds set up their own
government in northern Iraq with
military support from Britain and US
4
 Israel is Founded
5

 Britain supported a Jewish national homeland

 Holocaust gave Jews worldwide support
 1947 UN drew up a plan to divide Palestine into an
Arab and a Jewish state
 Jews agreed/Arabs rejected it
 1948 Britain withdrew from Palestine- Jews
proclaimed the land Independent state of Israel
 Arabs started the first of several wars
 Israel attracted Jews from all over the world
6
 Iran’s Islamic Revolution
7

 Due to oil fields Iran attracted attention from British,

Soviets, and Americans
 Backed by Western powers Shah Mohammad Reza
Pahlavi faced nationalist opponent Mohammad
Mosaddeq (1951 elected Prime Minister)
 1953 US helped Shah Pahlavi oust Mosaddeq-
Outraged many Iranians
 With American support, shah held power for the
next 25 years
 Prime Minister
Mohammad Mosaddeq

Shah Mohammad
Reza Pahlavi

8
 Islam Confronts Modernization
9

 To strengthen Iran and quiet unrest- shah used oil wealth

to build industries
 Redistributed land to peasants, extended rights to women
 Shah’s secret police terrorized critics and sent many into
exile
 1970s shah’s foes rallied behind Ayatollah Ruhollah
Khomeini
 He condemned Western influence & accused shah of
breaking Islamic law
 Drove the shah into exile
 Proclaimed Iran an Islamic republic- Theocracy
 VS

Shah Mohammad Ayatollah Ruhollah

Reza Pahlavi Khomeini

10
 Oil, Religion, and Threats to Stability
11

 Saudi Arabia has the world’s largest oil reserve

 Also included Islam’s Holy Land
 Joined OPEC oil embargo in 1973, then returned to
relations with the West
 To build support, Royal family backed
fundamentalist religious leaders
 Protested relations with the Western world
 Opponents of the kingdom adopted violent
(terrorist) tactics
 Kuwait, Qatar, & UAE face similar threats
 12

CONFLICTS IN THE MIDDLE

EAST
Chapter 32 Section 3
 Arabs and Israelis Fight Over Land
13

 United Nations Partition Plan formed Israel 1948

 As Arab nations fought against Israel- new nation
expanded
 Tookterritories- West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the
Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights
 1960s- Formation of the Palestinian Liberation
Organization (PLO) headed by Yasir Arafat
 PLO called for destruction of Israel
 Palestinians opposed Israel through intifadas
 Very harsh fighting back and forth
14
 Seeking Peace
15

 US, UN, and others pushed for peace

 Golda Meir- Israel’s first female Prime Minister tried
to make negotiated peace when Palestine attacked
 1979- Israel and Egypt signed a Peace agreement
 Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt
 Talks between Israel and Syria failed over the
issues of:
 Security
 Recognition of Israel
 Control of Golan Heights
16
 Seeking Peace Continued
17

 1993 Yasir Arafat and Israel Prime Minister Yitzhak

Rabin signed Oslo Accord
 Planned to give Palestinians in Gaza Strip and West Bank
limited self rule under Palestinian Authority
 PLO recognized Israel and agreed to stop terrorism

 Yasir Arafat assumed responsibility of Palestinian Authority

 2000- radical Palestinian groups stepped up terrorist

attacks
 Palestinian suicide bombers and Israeli reprisals brought
fear and bitterness
18
 Overcoming Obstacles to Peace
19

 Despite distrust and fear, other obstacles remained:

 Land claims- many Palestinians want right to settle
anywhere in Israel “Right of Return”
 Future of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories
 Jerusalem- home of religious sites to different religions
 Many Arabs were unwilling to recognize Israel’s right to
exist
 2000s- US devised a new plan “Road Map” to
peace- called for two states of Israel and
democratic Palestine to exist side by side
 Overcoming Obstacles to Peace
20

 2004 Israel planned to withdraw settlements from

Gaza
 Plan angered some Israelis and did not satisfy
Palestinians
 2004-Yasir Arafat died- democratically elected
successor pledged to stop Palestinian terrorist
attacks
 2005 Israel released hundred of Palestinian prisoners
 Civil War Ravages Lebanon
21

 The government depended on a delicate balance

among Arab Christians, Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims,
and Druze (Related to Islam)
 Christians held most power because they had the largest
group at independence, but Palestinian Muslims fled to
Lebanon when Israel formed and outnumbered the Christians
 1975 religious tension plunged Lebanon into civil war
 Israel invaded southern Lebanon to stop cross-border
attacks
 Syria occupied eastern Lebanon to secure its borders

 1990- civil war ended

22
 Iraq’s Long History of Conflict
23

 Conflict in Iraq partly due to oil wealth and ethnic

diversity- during Cold War Iraq’s oil was fought
over by SU and US
 Began to develop close ties with SU
 1979- Saddam Hussein seized power in Iraq and
ruled as a dictator
 1980- Hussein tried to take advantage of Islamic
revolution in Iran
 Triggered a prolonged war
 Hussein used chemical weapons on Kurdish civilians
24
 The Gulf War Brings Defeat
25

 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait to control its vast oil

field and gain greater access to the Persian Gulf
 US said Hussein’s move was illegal but also a threat
to oil resources of the Persian Gulf region
 President George H.W. Bush formed a coalition of
Western and Middle Eastern nations- launched a
counterattack against Iraqi forces 1991
 1991 Gulf War led by US operated under the UN
banner- quickly liberated Kuwait and crushed Iraqis
 Despite defeat- Hussein remain in power
26
 Defeat of Saddam Hussein
27

 US, Britain, and France had to set up no-fly zones to

protect Kurds and Shiites
 UN tried to keep Hussein from using oil wealth to build
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)
 Hussein disregarded no-fly zones and did not work with
the UN inspectors
 2002- US and Britain charged Hussein had WMD
 US President George W. Bush accused Iraqi government of
supporting terrorists
 2003- Iraq War- coalition forces toppled Saddam
Hussein and occupied the country
 Iraq Tries to Rebuild
28

 Efforts to rebuild were limited by guerilla attacks

and suicide bombings
 Insurgents targeted foreigners and Iraqi citizens-
especially those cooperating with foreign troops
 2005 National elections held for first time in history
 Shiite majority won control of government- faced
attacks by different insurgent groups
 Ethnic and religious divisions remained obstacles
 29

SECURITY IN A DANGEROUS
WORLD
Chapter 34 Section 4
 The Power of Modern Weapons
30

 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty signed by

US/SU/60 other countries
 By2000 187 nations in total had signed
 Most globally accepted arms control agreement

 Four nations have not signed- India, Pakistan, Israel,

and cuba
 Get around it by buying/selling nuclear technology or
materials but not actual weapons
 North Korea and Iran are suspected of buying
 Problem of Russia
31

 With the calming down of Cold War Russia did not

have enough finances to dispose of nuclear weapons
 Fear that some Russians sold or smuggled weapons or
sold intel
 US and Europe have increased funding to help Russia
secure its weapons
 1990s US and Russia have signed multiple treaties
assuring both countries security- both have backed
away from these treaties since due to national security
 Weapons of Mass Destruction
32

 WMDs include:
 Nuclear: first used by US in WWII
 Biological: disease carrying organisms; smallpox or
toxins to be released into the air or water supplies
 Chemical: chemical toxins such as nerve gas or mustard
gas; first used in WWI
 2000s they took a new danger- terrorist groups
began to use them for their own purposes
 Terrorism Threaten Global Security
33

 Terrorism- use of violence to achieve political goals

 Examples: Bombing buildings; slaughtering civilians,
police or soldiers; assassinating political leaders
 Generally terrorist have not been able to achieve
their political goals with violence- just cause terrible
damage and generate widespread fear
 Particular terrorist groups have operated for
decades all around the world
 Terrorism and the Middle East
34

 Middle East has become training ground and

source for terrorism
 One reason- Western colonial domination in the
region
 Establishment of state of Israel sparked anger

 Lebanese formed Hezbollah after Israel

invaded Lebanon
 Designated a terrorist group by the US and others
 Islamic Fundamentalism
35

 Religious belief that society should be governed by

Islamic law
 Developed out of a nationalist movement to oust Europeans
from the Middle East
 More tension grew with the creation of Israel

 Was originally encouraged by a lack of basic resources

in many Arab nations
 Made Israel and the US scapegoats for their problems
 In some nations Islamic fundamentalist groups have
turned to terrorism to attempt to gain power and take
over their government
 Rise of al Qaeda
36

 Means “the Base” in Arabis

 Leader was Osama bin Laden- son of rich Saudi
Arabian family
 Bin Laden helped warlords in Afghanistan drive out
Soviets in 1980s (US Supported Bin Laden- Cold War
mentality)
 1990s he mobilized al Qaeda to expel American
business interests, political influence, and military power
from Saudi Arabia
 Expanded to expel American power from entire Middle East
 Rise of al Qaeda continued
37

 Early attacks on American interests took place in

Asia and Africa
 Terrorists
blew up two American embassies in East
Africa 1998
 Damaged an American Naval vessel at port on
Arabian peninsula in 2000
 Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks- Twin Towers hit
and the Pentagon
 More than 2,500 people were killed in the attacks
 The War on Terrorism
38

 9/11 attacks started a global shake-up

 Governments around the world
questioned their allies, their enemies, and
their abilities to protect their citizens
 George W. Bush declared war on
Terrorism
 War in Afghanistan and Iraq
39

 Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders lived in

Afghanistan in 2001
 Government of that country- Islamic fundamentalist
group called Taliban- refused to surrender the terrorists
 US responded by attacking Afghanistan government
with the help of Afghani warlords and used military
bases in neighboring Pakistan
 Two years later- Bush asked Congress to declare war
on Iraq- Saddam was secretly making WMDs
 No weapons were found- bitterly debated war in US
 New Security Measures Take Shape
40

 Security became a top priority

 Creation of Department of Homeland Security
 More rigorous security measures at airports and
public buildings
 US stepped up pressure on other countries not to
develop WMDs
 President Bush encouraged Democracy as the best
deterrent of terrorist groups