The Rest of the Middle East

THE REST OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Most populous

Arab country in the Middle East

Dependant on one river for life

Historically produced some of the greatest technological and cultural achievements

Egyptians used basin irrigation

Barrages used when occupied by British

Salinization

•Used to be major exported in food but….•Egyptian cotton

Cairo, largest metropolis in the Middle East and all of Africa

An unfavorable trade balance had occurred

Tourism helps, but the violence doesn’t

U.S. is chief non-Arab ally.

Uses Egypt to help control the ME

Afghanistan High, rugged, arid

and mountainous Only land locked

country in the ME One of the poorest

countries in the World

Ethnic groups Pashtuns Tajik Hazara

Kabul is capital

Opium problem Mostly rural agricultural and pastoral Most successful crop is Opium Taliban used revenues to supply arms Worlds largest opium producer

2001 Taliban bans cultivation No harvest till U.S. ousted Taliban Now back up to producing ¾ of world opium

Afghanistan in World Affairs USSR invades in 1979 Mujahideen- anti-soviet rebel bands

supplied by the U.S. Turns into USSR’s “Vietnam War” Afghanistan’s 15 mil. hit hard

1million dead 2million displaced from homes 6 million refugees in Iran and Pakistan

Start to slip out of the worlds thoughts…..

Osama bin Laden develops al-Qa’ida

“the base” to wage wider jihad

Taliban takes control in 1996

Take Women out of work force

No education for girls Outlawed “un-

lslamic” practices

Northern Alliance Opponent of Taliban Wants to bring peace

back to people Supported by US,

Russia, neighboring countires

Wild West like bounty for Osama after 9/11

U.S./ British/Northern Alliance take out Taliban and al-Qa’ida strongholds

Osama and Taliban leader Mullah Omar slip away

Rebuilding Hamid Karzai and U.S.

Help rebuild government much of power remains

with warlords Al-Qa’ida and Taliban

personnel still at large On the positive side

Public services being built

Reforestation Possibly have world

largest copper deposit

50% of Jordan’s pop. is Palestinian

Similar to other ME countries

Lebanese Civil War Started because

religious factions 1982 War beings in

Israel and Syria

The Maghreb: Northwestern Africa

Morocco Algeria Tunisia Western Sahara