Contested Borders - The Middle East Flashcards
Background
Ottoman Empire entered WW1 on the side of Germany
Lawrence of Arabia
British Army Officer encouraging Arab nationalism and led Arab revolt against Ottoman rule (not for the British)
Colonial Partition of the Ottoman Empire
Arabs won the revolt
Britain backtracked on their word signing the Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) with France dividing the Middle East
Mark Sykes 1915
“I should draw a line from the e in Acre to the last k in Kirkuk”
Issue with the Sykes-Picot line
It doesn’t account for cultural or geographical differences. Just split it down the middle.
Syria main religious groups
73% Sunni
15% Shia
Syria main ethnic group and ethnic minority group
Main ethnic group - Arab
Ethnic minority group - Kurds
Iraq main religious groups
Shia - 60%
Sunni -30%
Iraq main ethnic group and ethnic minority group
Main ethnic group - Arab
Minority Group - Kurds
Iran main religious groups
Shia - 90%
Sunni - 10%
Iran main ethnic group and ethnic minority group
Main Ethnic Group - Pension
Ethnic Minority - Azeris
Saddam Hussein
Dictator of Iraq
Saddam Hussein conflict with population
He is a Sunni Arab.
66% of Iraq is Shia.
Population isn’t represented by their dictator.
USA - SADDAM HUSSEIN
He was deposed by a US invasion, 2003, where they installed a Shia government.
Bashar al-Assad
President and effective dictator of Syria since 2000
Bashar al-Assad
Only 15% of population are Shia. He is Shia.
ISIS
ISIS tried to destroy the Sykes-Picot line and create a new Sunni Arab State
