MT 2 Short Topics Flashcards
1
Q
Anglo-Iranian Oil Company
A
- English-founded company in 1908 in Iran
- Mossadeq, president of Iran, believed the company to unfairly profit from Iranian oil and demanded renegotiations
- Mossadeq later removed through CIA operation AJAX due to American intervention
2
Q
1967 Arab-Israeli War
A
- Pre-emptive strike on surrounding states by Israel
- Israel seizes Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt, the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria in 6 days
- Worsened Palestinian-Israeli relations. PLO felt Palestine should replace territory rather than share with Israel
3
Q
1973 Arab-Israeli War
A
- Aka the Yom Kippur War. Egypt surprise attacks Israel hoping to reclaim the Sinai on Yom Kippur when the country was praying
- Arab loss due to disorganized military, while Israelis fought for their existence
- Resulted in Egypt being voted out of the Arab league
4
Q
ARAMCO (Arabian-American Oil Company)
A
- SA allowed SOCAL (American oil company, to explore for oil
- 1950 King Abdulaziz threatened to nationalize ARAMCO, forcing it to share profits 50/50
- After the 1973 A-I War, SA took a 25% stake in ARAMCO and eventually gained full control
5
Q
Hafiz al-Asad
A
- President of Syria from 1971-2000 who took part in the Syrian coup d’etat in 1963
- Established an all-Arab alliance with Iraq, Jordan, Lebanaon, and the PLO
- Did not establish Iraqi Ba’athist ties due to his aspirations of a Greater Syria and advanced Arab cooperations in the late 70s
6
Q
Hassan al-Banna
A
- One of the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood
- Major organization of the Arab world which spread Islam throughout the world
- Dismantled after the 1948 War with Israel and later assassinated in 1949
7
Q
Ba’athist Party
A
- Founded by Michel Aflaq in Syria 1947 as a socialist concept of Arab nationalism
- Wanted a United Arab Republic, fell apart in the 60s as a result of independent nationalist movement
8
Q
Menachem Begin
A
- PM of Israel during the late 1970s-early 1980s
- Achieved the Camp David peace accords with Anwar Sadat
- Resulted in territorial concession of the Sinai to Egypt and Egypt acknowledging Israel’s existence
9
Q
George W. Bush and George Bush Sr.
A
- GB Sr. president of the US in the early 90s
- Led a coalition of countries against Iraq during the Gulf War
- GWB president of the US in 2001-2008
- In office during the 9/11 attacks and declared the War on Terror with Iraq/Afghanistan
10
Q
Camp David Accords
A
- Series of negotiations with US president Jimmy Carter
- Series of peace accords between Israel/Egypt in 1979
- Israel agreed to withdraw from the Sinai while Egypt acknowledged Israel’s existence as a legitimate state
11
Q
Camp David II
A
- Another series of accords led by Clinton in 2000 in attempt to broker peace between Israel and Palestine
- No resolution regarding East Jerusalem and Palestinian territories were reached
12
Q
Jimmy Carter
A
- US president 1977-1981 who led the Camp David Accords
- Oversaw the release of the US hostages taken during the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979
- Oversaw operation Eagle Claw - ultimately failed resulting in a loss of US officials and aircrafts
13
Q
Desert Shield
A
- First phase of the Gulf War
- Aimed at “protecting” SA from threat of an Iraqi invasion
- Coordinated during the same time as Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
14
Q
Desert Storm
A
- Second phase of the Gulf War
- Result of a UN resolution that would result in the invasion of Iraq using massive airstrike campaigns and a following ground invasion
- Resulted in American occupation in Saudi Arabia which provoked al-Qaeda, religious extremism, and modern warfare
15
Q
Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty
A
- Brokered by Jimmy Carter in 1979 during Camp David
- Future talks of the state of Palestine and the legitimacy of Israel as a state
- Seen negatively by pan-Arabist views, indirectly leading to Anwar Sadat’s assassination in 1981
16
Q
Fateh
A
- A prominent Palestinian political party founded by Yasser Arafat in 1959
- Later merged with the PLO in opposition to Hamas, which later proved the stronger political force in 2006
- Internal conflict between Palestinian political parties
17
Q
Saddam Hussein
A
- Prominent figure in Iraq in 1960s and 1979 leader of the Baath party who seized power in 1980
- Leader during the Iran-Iraq war, and later led the Kuwait invasion in 1990
- Had hostile impressions and paranoia towards the US resulting in American invasion of Iraq in search of WMDs
18
Q
Intifada (Palestinian context)
A
- Series of Palestinian uprisings in effort to rally for independence against Israeli occupation
- 1st: Began in late 80s, use of civil striking, stoning, and assaults on military personel
- 2nd: 2000-05, response to settlement with Israel resulting in further civil uprisings (not as widespread but included suicide bombing campaigns)
- Resulted in the West Bank Barrier construction by Israel and failed attempts at peace accords
19
Q
Iran/Embassy Hostage Crisis
A
- Radical Iranian students took control of the American Embassy in Tehran, 1979-1981
- Performed in order to make the US return the Shah to Iran for trial and execution and to unfreeze Iran’s government assets
- Crisis ended due to Iran-Iraq war, governments entered and signed the Algiers Accords which freed the hostages in 1981
- Marked hostile relations with the US and a shift in American-Iranian foreign policy
20
Q
Iran-Iraq War
A
- Spanned 1980-1988
- Provoked Iraqi invasion under Hussein from fear of a spread of Shia population into the East and opportunity to invade in the wake of the Iranian Revolution
- Resulted in stalemate with no territorial gains on either side. Longest War in the 20th century, with Iraq deriving support from Arab/US forces, while Iran was left independent with support from the USSR
21
Q
Iraq Liberation Act
A
- Called by the US under Clinton in 1998 for transition towards a democratic Iraq
- Claimed Iraq violated many international laws and allegedly possessed WMD
- Later used as leverage to invade Iraq post 9/11 to eradicate Hussein and begin the War on Terror
22
Q
Iran Sanctions Regime
A
- Series of harsh sanctions against Iraq by the UN at the beginning of the Gulf War in 1990
- Meant to encourage Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, pay reparations, and eliminate any WMDs
- Developed further hostility towards the US and religious extremist groups (ie. ISIS)
23
Q
Islam Jihad Group/Ayman al-Zawarhri
A
- Leader of Egyptian Islamic Jihad
- Responsible for assassination of Anwar Sadat in 1981 and arrest of al-Zawarhri
- Later merged with al-Qaeda and became second in command to Osama Bin Lader and eventually the leader of Al-Qaeda
24
Q
Islamic Republic 1979 Constitution
A
- Result of 1979 Iranian Revolution, resulting in the overthrowing of the Shah and Ayatollah Rouhani Komeini as leader
- Adopted a harsh stance towards the West in favour of Islamic traditions and “Islamification” of Iranian society
25
jahiliyya
- Concept of ignorance of the practices Islamism
- Conceived by Sayid Qutb as a way of describing peoples and places which went against the nonsecular teachings of the Quran
- ie. Nasser in Egypt
26
Ayatollah Khomeini
- Founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran after the Iranian Revolution in 1979
- Became the leader of Iran following the Iranian Revolution, with a goal of Islamification of Iranian society
- Led to alienation of relations with the US, who largely supported Reza Shah
27
Kurdish Separatism/Uprisings of 1987/91
- Sizable and rebellious minority with own language and culture in Iraq
- Uprising in 1987 in Northern Iraq to reclaim Kurdish homeland and acquire independence from Iraq
- Iraqi suppression of revolts due to Shia ties to Kurds, unlike the largely Shiite populations in Iraq
- Largely uncoordinated insurgencies, uprisings in 1991 in belief Hussein was weakened by war in Kuwait
- Suppressed by Iraqi government creating a refugee crisis and establishment of self-governed territory of Iraqi-Kurdistan
28
Maijlis (Iran)
- Arabic word for council
- Lower legislative council before 1979 Revolution
- Later known as the Guardian Council after the Revolution
29
Golda Meir
- Israeli teacher, fourth PM of Israel from 1969-1974 until after the Yom Kippur war
- aka the "Iron Lady" of Israeli Politics
- Was forced to avoid pre-emptive attacks due to US pressures from Henry Kissinger
30
Muslim Brotherhood
- Multi-national Islamic revivalist organization based in Egypt by teacher Hassan al-Banna
- Originally established 1928 as a social youth club, stressed moral and social reform rooted in Islam
- Political organization by 1939
31
Gamal Abdel Nasser
- Military general and key player in overthrowing of King Farouk in 1952
- Later became President Egypt, and nationalized the Suez Canal despite French and British protest
32
No-Fly Zones
- Part of UN sanctions against Iraq during the Gulf War
- Iraqi planes would not be able to fly over northern/southern regions of Iraq
- Regulated and patrolled by American and British air forces until 2003
33
Oil Embargo 1973
- Result of Western aid during 1973 Yom Kippur War
- Members of OPEC collectively raised price of oil
- Caused huge strain on American-Arab relations and US panic due to decrease in oil supply
34
OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
- Economic cartel that aims to manage Arab supply of oil and manipulate it to "coordinate and unify petroleum prices" of both producing and purchasing countries
- Founding members: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and Venezuela in 1960
35
Oslo Accords
- Series of negotiations and Palestinians in 1993
- Aimed to end of the First Intifada, and marked the first peace accords between Palestine and Israel, although they largely fell through
- Resulted in uprisings of the second Intifada, suicide bombings, and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin
36
"Reza Shah" Pahlavi
- Self-Proclaimed Shah of Iran who took power 1921 through military coup
- Promoted deep secularism in Iranian government and policy, and aimed to create primary loyalty to nationalism
37
Palestinian Authority
- Governing body of all Palestinian territories created in 1993 following the Oslo Accords
- Large control over Gaza and parts of the West Bank
38
Palestinian Liberation Organization
- Created in 1964 by Yasser Arafat to fight Israeli occupation and advocated a fully independent Palestine
- Initially seen as a terrorist organization by Israel, which later recognized the State of Israel following the Oslo Accords
39
Sayyid Qutb
- Islamic author known for creating a political Islamic movement
- Harbored large large anti-Western sentiments and towards secular government
- Later inspired extremist and other Islamic factions
40
Yitzhak Rabin
- PM of Israel during the 1990s
- Sought peace with the Palestinians following the First Intifada, and oversaw the Oslo Accords as a step to brining peace to Palestine/Israel
- Later assassinated for making territorial concessions
41
Rentier State
- State which derives the majority of its revenues from rent of domestic resources to foreign clients
- General absence of domestic taxation, economy focused on personal wealth precluding the need for national income
- ie. SA, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, UAE - authoritarian regimes in the ME without democratic regimes
42
Anwar Sadat
- President of Egypt in the 1970s, invaded Israel in the Yom Kippur War
- Mediated the Camp David Accords, resulting in the acquisition of the Sinai and acknowledgement of Israel as a legitimate state
- Later assassinated as a result of his acknowledgement of Israel angered Arab extremists
43
Abd al-Aziz Ibn Saud
- Founder of modern day SA and proclaimed King
- Conquered surrounding regions to create current SA
- Discovered oil in the region
44
SCUD Missiles
- Soviet-made missiles sold to many Arab countries in the ME
- During the Gulf War, Hussein fired many SCUD missiles into Israel in order to coerce them into coalition
- Potentially contained chemical agents making them very deadly
45
Security Council Resolution 678
- Gave Iraq an ultimatum to withdraw from Kuwait or face a coalition invasion of armies
- Essentially gave legal means to invade Iraq
46
Ali Shariati
- Iranian revolutionary and main inspiration for 1979 Iranian Revolutions
- Often spoke against government, often arrested, and imprisoned
- Held philosophically Islamic views and spread them to his students who were involved in the 1979 Revolution
47
Signposts/Signposts On the Road
- The most well-known book by Sayyid Qutb written in the 1960s
- Focused on Arab peoples who strayed from Islamism and his anti-Western views toward secular regimes and governments
48
Tudeh
- Iranian Communist Party
| - After the 1953 Iranian coup, many were arrested and the party took further heat during the 1979 Revolution
49
"Two Cultures" Phenomenon
- Theory that claims the West is split into two cultures, science and humanities
- Technological advances in military equipment with well-educated leaders in the humanities resulted in Western leadership
50
United Arab Republic (UAR)
- Belief that Egypt and Syria would unify as a country with Arabic national Ideals
- Following the 1961 Syrian coup, the UAR union was dismantled
51
United Nations Expeditionary Force (UNEF) in Sinai
- Created by the UN and Lester B. Pearson
- Aimed to ensure peace was maintained in Sinai after the 1956 Suez Crisis
- Redeployed after 1973 Yom Kippur war and withdrew from the region in 1979 after peace accords were drawn between Israel and Egypt
52
UN Resolution 242
- Adopted unanimously by the UN Security Council (November 1967) after the Six-Day War
- Saw the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the 1967 war
- Resolution not accepted by the PLO
53
UNSCOM - Iraq
- UN Special Committee created 1991 to ensure Iraq's compliance with its production of WMDs after the Gulf War
- 1991-95, UN inspectors uncovered massive program to develop biological and nuclear weapons later confiscated and destroyed
- Inspectors kicked out in late 1998 by Hussein, resulting in military bombardment by America/Britain (Operation Desert Fox)
- Bombardments aimed at striking military/security targets in Iraq to continue Iraq's disarmament
- Root cause of 2003 invasion of Iraq
