Contested borders

Question 1

What is demarcation of borders?

Answer 1

the border that separates two countries

Question 2

What two things can borders follow?

Answer 2

Natural linear feature
Artificial linear features

Question 3

Why might borders follow natural features?

Answer 3

They are easily demarcated form the ground

Question 4

What are some examples of natural features borders can follow?

Answer 4

Rivers
Coastline
Lakes
Mountain watershed

Question 5

What are some examples of artificial borders?

Answer 5

Hadrian’s wall
Offa dike
Great wall of China
Israel west bank wall
49th parallel (USA and Canada)

Question 6

What is Secession?

Answer 6

when a separatist group declare independence and breaks away to form a new state

Question 7

What are some examples of secession?

Answer 7

Scotland referendum
Basque
South Sudan
Kurds/Iran

Question 8

What is annexation?

Answer 8

One state unilaterally seizes control of a territory

Question 9

What is an example of annexation?

Answer 9

Russia and Crimea
Russia’s current attempt on Ukraine

Question 10

What is cession?

Answer 10

One state cedes a territory to another in a treaty

Question 11

What might be the causes for a country to cede its land?

Answer 11

Defeat in war
Mutual agreement (sale of land)

Question 12

What is an example of the sale of land? (contested borders)

Answer 12

USA purchase of Alaska

Question 13

What are some examples of a area being ceded due to war?

Answer 13

Japan-sino war (Taiwan)
Japan after WW2 (Taiwan)

Question 14

What are colonial borders?

Answer 14

Created by agreements between superpowers and often ignore cultural and physical geography

Question 15

What is an example of colonial borders?

Answer 15

Syria/Iraq

Question 16

What is the principle of self determination?

Answer 16

Common after WW1 when borders reflect the will of the people

Question 17

What is an example of the self determination principle?

Answer 17

Austria- Hungary empire after WW1

Question 18

What is the name of the Ottoman Empire today?

Answer 18

Turkey

Question 19

Which side of WW1 did the Ottomans enter on?

Answer 19

The side of Germany and attacked Russia, Britain and France

Question 20

Who was Lawrence of Arabia?

Answer 20

British army officer

Question 21

What did Lawrence of Arabia do?

Answer 21

Encouraged Arab nationalism & led Arab revolt against Ottoman rule

Question 22

Why did the British army need the Arabs help? (WW1)

Answer 22

The British wanted to attack the Ottoman Empire but they weren’t skilled enough at desert warfare

Question 23

What had Britain promised the Arab leaders if the Ottomans were defeated?

Answer 23

Independence

Question 24

What did Britain and France do which affected the independence of the Arab area? (WW1)

Answer 24

In 1916 Britain and France signed the secret Sykes-Picot agreement to divide the Middle East

Question 25

Why did the Sykes-Picot line create a contested border?

Answer 25

It ignored the ethnic and religious geography of the region

Question 26

What is the split of religious groups in Syria?

Answer 26

Shia=14.7% Sunni=73% Christian=9.3%

Question 27

What is the split of religious groups in Iraq?

Answer 27

Shia=63.2% Sunni=32.3% Christian=2.3%

Question 28

What is the split of religious groups in Iran?

Answer 28

Shia=86.7% Sunni= 10.8% Christian= 1%

Question 29

What is the main ethnic group and largest minority in Syria?

Answer 29

Main group= Arab Largest minority= Kurd

Question 30

What is the main ethnic group and largest minority in Iraq?

Answer 30

Main group= Arab Largest minority= Kurd

Question 31

What is the main ethnic group and largest minority in Iran?

Answer 31

Main group= Persian Largest minority= Kurd/ Alawhite

Question 32

What is a alawhite?

Answer 32

Sect of Islam

Question 33

Who was Suddam Hussein?

Answer 33

Dictator or Iraq (1979-2003)

Question 34

What ethnic religious group was Suddam Hussein?

Answer 34

Sunni Arab

Question 35

How did Suddam Hussein come to power?

Answer 35

Put into power by CIA in the Cold War as he was anti-communism

Question 36

How might Suddam Hussein’s ethnic religion explain his fear or Iran and his launching of Iran-Iraq war? (1980-88)

Answer 36

As Iran has a big Shia population and and they may think some of Iraq should be Iranian

Question 37

What happened to Suddam Hussein?

Answer 37

He was deposed by US invasion

Question 38

What was leadership like in Iraq after Hussein?

Answer 38

US Military rule (2003-2011) US installed a new Shia dictator

Question 39

Why does the US electing dictators cause civil war in Iraq?

Answer 39

The people aren’t allowed to decide Specifically Sunni upset as Shia leader means no longer favoured by law after being in charge for many years

Question 40

Who is Bashar al-Assad?

Answer 40

President and effective dictator of Syria (2011+)

Question 41

What is the ethnic religious group of Bashar al-Assad?

Answer 41

Shia Arab (Alawhite)

Question 42

What are fellow Alawhites in control of in Syria?

Answer 42

Control the regimes security forces

Question 43

Why might Bashar al-Assad’s religion be a cause of the Syrian civil war?

Answer 43

Wrong ethnic group to majority Bashar hates Sunni

Question 44

How did Bashar al-Assad break international law?

Answer 44

Used chemical weapons against own people (killing some)

Question 45

What was the Balfour declaration (1917)?

Answer 45

Uk foreign secretary supported a ‘national home’ for Jewish people ‘in Palestine’

Question 46

What happened after WW2 in Isreal (Palestine)?

Answer 46

Civil war broke out between Jewish settlers and indigenous Arab population

Question 47

What happened when the British withdrew from Palestine?

Answer 47

Independent state of Isreal declared