Middle East Nationalism

Fall of the Ottoman Empire• Began in the 1700’s with the loss

of Greece and North Africa

• WWI: Ottomans & Germans were allies

• Ottomans killed a million Christian Armenians – Armenian Genocide

Fall of the Ottoman Empire• British and French forces convince Arabs

to revolt against the Ottomans

• At the end of WWI, the Ottoman Empire collapsed

• Turkey was all that was left under Ottoman control

Modernization of Turkey• By 1923, the Last

Ottoman Sultan was driven out of Turkey

• Mustafa Kemal Ataturk became President and transformed Turkey into a modern state

• Kemal modernized the Turkish Language

Modernization of Turkey• Kemal forced people to adopt last names

• Kemal outlawed all Muslim customs & traditions

• Kemal gave equal rights to women the right to vote

• Kemal’s changes to Turkey were lasting and profound

The Beginning of Modern Iran• A similar process was

underway in Persia

• In 1908 oil was discovered in Persia - foreign investors flooded the country – most of the money was taken by

foreigners

• This led to a Persian nationalist movement

The Beginning of Modern Iran• 1925- Reza Khan takes over

the government and becomes Shah – Reza Shah Pahlavi

• Khan follows Kemal’s example and modernizes Persia - renames country Iran

• During WWII the Shah harbors a large number of Nazi’s in Iran

Different Kind of Conflict

• Different kind of conflict erupted in Iran

• Revolution ousted shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

Society Changed

• By 1970s, Iran had changed from traditional rural society

• Had become more industrialized, urban society

Westernization of Iran

• Shah had close ties with Western governments, oil companies

• Iran westernized, foreign influence grew

Islamists Opposed Shah

• Islamists opposed shah because he promoted a culture of greed and materialism (Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini)

Revolution in Iran

• 1979, Iranian revolutionaries seized U.S. embassy in Tehran, took 66 Americans hostage

• Iranians demanded shah be returned to Iran, stand trial

• Shah left U.S., but Iranians held hostages until January, 1981

American Hostages

• Under Khomeini, government suppressed political opposition, enforced strict social religious values

• Foreign policy strongly anti-Western, especially after shah went to U.S. for medical treatment

Khomeini’s Reign

Khomeini’s Reign

As Iran’s new government was dealing with the hostage crisis, it found itself at war with its neighbor, Iraq.

• 1980, Iraq attacked Iran because of border disputes

• War long, costly; as many as 500,000 dead on both sides - Iraq used chemical weapons

• 1988, both sides agreed to cease-fire

Iran-Iraq War

• After cease-fire, Saddam Hussein continued to build up Iraq’s military

• 1990, Iraq accused neighboring Kuwait of drilling into Iraqi oil field, stealing oil

• Hussein used this as excuse to invade Kuwait

Persian Gulf War

Conflict in Iraq

Insurgent attacks by different groups from both inside and outside Iraq caused a greater number of casualties.

• After attacks of September 11, 2001, some U.S. leaders believed Saddam Hussein posed a greater threat to America than before

• Hussein might have deadly weapons he could give to terrorists

• UN weapons inspections did not find stockpiles of chemical, biological, nuclear weapons

• Iraq again did not fully cooperate

• Some U.S. officials convinced Hussein hiding weapons

Weapons Inspections

The Iraq War

• 2003, another U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq, forcing Hussein out

• Efforts to restore peace thwarted

• Growing insurgency targeted coalition forces, Iraqi allies, innocent civilians

Growing Insurgency

Coalition Government

Meanwhile, coalition worked to create new, democratic government in Iraq

• 2004, power transferred to Iraqis

• 2005, Iraqis voted in country’s first multiparty election in fifty years

– Later approved new constitution to make Iraq Islamic federal democracy

• Continued violence, potential for civil war made country’s future highly uncertain

Arab Nationalism• Arabs are a group of people united by language

• Promised independence after WWI

• Britain and France end up controlling the Arab mandates of Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria

• These mandates controlled everything

• This began the cry for Arab Unity

• 1932 Saudi Arabia is formed and is very poor

• 1930’s oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia and soon became very wealthy

• 1958 to 1961 – United Arab Republic formed between Egypt and Syria

Islamic Revivalism

• Movement to reassert Muslim identity and values

The “Problem” of Palestine • Great Britain controlled the

mandate of Palestine after WWI*

• 1917 - Britain issues the Balfour Declaration which supports the idea of a Jewish homeland

The “Problem” of Palestine cont.

• Palestine at the time was 98% Muslim and they were angry

• Jewish settlers begin to arrive as Nazi persecution increased

• Tensions between Jews and Muslims also increased in Palestine

Arab-Israeli War of 1948• UN Resolution proposed that would create a

Arab state and a Jewish state by dividing the Palestine mandate

• 14 May 1948: Zionist leader David Ben-Gurion declares that Israel is an independent state.

• Fate of 700k Palestinian refugees is left undecided – creation of a Palestinian state is still an important issue

Suez War of 1956• Israelis feel threatened by arms build up and

launch pre-emptive strike against Egypt.– Attack and seize the Sinai and Gaza Strip.

• Relinquished in 1957.

• French and British retake Suez Canal which Egypt (under Nasser) had seized several months earlier.

Six Day War• 5-10 June 1967• Egypt, Jordan, and Syria begin military

mobilization.• Israel launches surprise pre-emptive

strike.• UN arranges cease-fire, but terms did

not specify exactly what land Israel was required to give up.

Land added to Israel: Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, and Golan Heights = tripled it’s size

Yom Kippur War• 6 Oct 1973 Egypt and Syria launch surprise attack on holiest

day of Jewish year.

• How does this affect the rest of the world?– OPEC raises prices for foreign countries

Arafat and the PLO• Yasir Arafat forms Al-Fatah (Palestinian

National Liberation Front) in 1959.– Goal was to liberate Palestine from Israel

through guerilla warfare.

• Variety of Palestinian factions form the militant group - Palestinian Liberation Organization in 1964.– Arafat becomes chairman in 1969.– Charter calls for elimination of state of Israel –

militant group.

Peace Accords• Camp David 1979

– Egypt recognizes Israel’s right to exist.

• Oslo Accords 1993– Israel and PLO accept each

other’s right to exist.

• Wye River Accords 1998– Arafat agrees to crack down on

terrorists.– Israel will pull troops back from

occupied territories.

Security Wall

• Temporary security measure?

• Route to further annexation of “Palestinian land”?

• Justifiable? Just?

What does the wall look like? Here it is!

Hamas Victory in Palestinian Elections

• Fundamentalist group that wants to establish an Islamic state on what it considers "historic Palestine," including modern-day Israel.

• Political wing won a landslide victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections

• Charter calls for Israel’s destruction

• Should Hamas be recognized by the international community?

On-going violence since 2000

• According to BBC:– 3,300 Palestinians killed by

Israelis

– 1,000 Israelis killed by Palestinians

– Most Pal. deaths by Israeli military

– Most Israeli deaths by acts of terrorism

• Can peace be made while violence persists?

• What will stop the violence?

How Should the U.S. Effectively Use its Power?

• Policeman?– Enforcer of laws

• Nation-builder?– Democratization

• Humanitarian?• Imperialist?• Peace Keeper?

– Disinterested 3rd Party

• Stay out!