MENA PPT Notes The Middle East is at the crossroads of three Continents:
1. 2. 3.
---• Areas west of ________________________including Iran
• Countries in _______________ _____________along Mediterranean Sea • Turkey
---What is the Middle East Region?
Why is Northern Africa included in the region?
•
Islam and Arabs– same ______________, similar _______.
---Physical Geography - Middle East: Climate Regions
What climate type dominates the region? What climate type is found around water?
---Physical Geography - The Middle East: Natural Vegetation
What is the dominant vegetation zone in the region?
Why is there a different vegetation zone through central Egypt?
---What resources are in the Middle East?
• ___________________________ – remove salt from water • Dams - hydroelectricity
• Irrigation - for farming
Petroleum/Oil
• Most countries either have oil or make money from it (refining it or pipeline fees) • ___________________________ _____of petroleum is in Middle East
How does this affect you?
---Physical Geography - The Natural Resources of the Middle
East
What is the dominant form of agriculture in the Middle East? What mineral resource is most common in the Middle East?
---Where are there Fresh Groundwater Sources?
---What is Oil? Why is it Important?
Produced from microscopic marine plants and animals, squeezed underground for millions of years.
Oil is a “________________ resource”
• Once it is used up, it is gone forever. • Nobody is certain how much is left.
Oil is used for many things:
1. Fuel, (gasoline, jet fuel, heating oil)
3. Asphalt used in road construction 4. Synthetic rubber in tires
5. ___________________, pesticides (bugs), and herbicides (plants) 6. Detergents, many drugs, and paints
7. _________________ ________________used in clothing (Nylon, Polyester)
---What is OPEC ?
• OPEC - “____________________________________________________”
• Controls the _____________, production, and _______________________ of oil. • 66% of world reserves of oil, 40% of world oil production (this is changing)
---Demographics and Immigration
• In general, the MENA has fast growing, very young populations. 50% under the age of 35 in most places.
• Despite this, many countries buck this trend, with rapidly decreasing fertility rates. • The MENA is a primary source of immigrants to Europe and the West, mostly for
economic reasons (jobs).
• Some countries in the Persian Gulf, on the other hand, have large populations of immigrant workers from South and Southeast Asia for the same reasons.
---Trade Routes and Choke Points
• Primary trade route connecting _____________________________. • Built in ________ by the French in the 1850’s and 1860’s.
Straits of Hormuz
• The Persian Gulf is a vital part of the ___________________________________. • It is in a very dangerous part of the world.
• It can easily be closed off by hostile countries (narrower).
---History of the Middle East
“___________________________” of river valleys, was cradle of civilization, around 4000 BC. • Nile River
• Jordan River • Tigris River • Euphrates River
__________________ - Area of earliest towns, agriculture between Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Empires - Many different empires ruled this region: • Assyrians
• Persians
• Alexander the Great • Romans
• Caliphate • Sassanians • European
_____________– Dominated the region almost immediately after it appeared around 650AD, both religiously and politically.
---Middle East: Population Density
__________________________
Cultures of the Middle East
• Majority speak ___________ (also Turkish, Farsi, Hebrew)
• Many different ethnic groups, such as Arabs, Persians, Turks, Kurds • 90% follow Islam (________________ and _______________)
---Middle Eastern Countries
• Related history, similar issues and challenges • _______________ conflicts, social turmoil • Limited natural resources (especially water)
• _________ climate – hot and dry (136* in the shade in Libya!)
• All countries border the ocean (except Afghanistan which is landlocked)
---What three major religions began in Middle East?
• _____________________, ____________________________, ______________ • Called “Religions of the Book”, or “Abrahamic Religions”, all related traditions.
• Major events of Old Testament, New Testament, and Quran all happened in Middle East and North Africa.
• Islam is now the dominant religion of the region, and has been since around 700AD.
Primary religion of the modern Middle East, about 1.5 billion followers. Main idea: “There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his Prophet.”
• Who – _____________________________________ • When – ______________
• Where – Arabian Peninsula
• Holy Books – _____________________(main text) and the Hadith (commentaries)
---Major Concepts of Islam
• Islam means “_____________________________ to the will of God”.
• Quran (Koran) is considered the literal word of Allah, given to Mohammed by the Archangel Gabriel.
• _____________________ is Islamic law, covering nearly all aspects of life. Used by many Islamic countries as basis for their own legal codes.
• ________________________ are where Muslims gather to worship.
• Five Pillars of Islam are the things one must do to be a practicing Muslim.
• Jihad is “struggle”, whether internally for self-control or externally for holy war.
---“Five Pillars” of Islam:
1. Statement of Faith
2. Prayer _____________times daily
3. Fasting during holiday of ____________________
4. Alms to the poor
---• Two major ________________ of Islam. In modern times, Islam is split – about 85% Sunni, 15% Shi’a.
• Differences started long ago, due to a dispute about who would _____________ the Muslim world (Umma) after Muhammad died.
• Over time, the groups developed different ____________ and ________________. It is a little like the differences between Catholics and Protestants.
• Many modern conflicts in the Middle East have these differences at their root. This is called “_______________________________________”.
---Why are women covered up?
• Islam encourages _______________ dress. Different cultures interpret this differently, and require different things from women. Some women see it as subjugation, some see it as proper.
• Not all countries follow the same customs, nor do all women in a country follow the same customs. Some places it is a choice, others it is the law. In a few places, it is enforced with violence against women.
• Head covering is called _______________; Only the eyes exposed is called ______________; Head to toe is called ________________.
---5 ) Region
•
Issues, Crisis, and Conflicts
---Iraq and Iran – NOT THE SAME
IRAQ
IRAN
ETHNIC
GROUP
ARABS
PERSIANS
LANGUAGE
ARABIC
FARSI
ISLAMIC SECT
20% SUNNI, 80% SHI’A
90% SHI’A
GOVERNMENT
DEMOCRATIC
REPUBLIC
ISLAMIC
THEOCRACY
CAPITAL
BAGHDAD
TEHERAN
LOCATION
WEST
EAST
RELATION TO
USA
FRIENDLY
OPPOSED
---USA in the Persian Gulf
Why are we there?
• To protect the flow of oil to the world, mostly. We need it, and that is where it comes from. There are other reasons, but this is probably the most significant. What have we done there?
• The USA has supported dictators, overthrown governments, sold weapons to both sides in a war, and fought wars.
What resulted from this?
• USA is mistrusted in the region, involved in a long war, and facing terrorism at home.
What it worth it?
• Maybe. Gotta have the oil, after all.
• 1950’s-1970’s, USA supported the “Shah” (Emperor) of Iran because he was anti-Communist. He was a harsh ruler.
• In 1979 an Islamic Revolution happened, led by ___________________________, opposed to the USA. They took 50+ American hostages, held them for almost a year and a half.
• Iran has opposed the USA on Israel, Iraq, and ____________________________. The Iranian government calls the USA the “Great Satan”.
• Iran was once _______________, a great empire, and it wishes to resume importance on the world stage.
• They are currently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz/Persian Gulf, due to international ________________________ against them.
---Kurds and Kurdistan
• The Kurds are a people who live in the Middle East, about 30,000,000 in all. They have their own _______________and _________________, and a separate identity as Kurdish people.
• They have no country of their own, instead living scattered across a dozen other countries, including Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
• They are in conflict with several governments, as some wish to create a separate Kurdish country, called _______________________________.
• Kurds often point to the Jews and the creation of Israel as an example.
---The Arab Spring
The Arab Spring is a wave of ______________________ and ________________ occurring in the Arab world starting in late 2010.
• Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt
• Civil war in Libya resulted in fall of its government
• Civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen, resulting in resignation of Yemeni prime minister
• Major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and Oman
• Minor protests in Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Western Sahara.
• Clashes between Israel and Palestine along border posts also inspired by Arab Spring.
---Arab Spring Revolts continued…..
The protests have shared techniques of________________________________, as well as the use of social media (Facebook and Twitter) to organize and coordinate.
Many demonstrations have met _________________ responses from authorities, as well as from pro-government militias and counter-demonstrators.
Improvised riot helmets in Tahrir Square (Egypt)!!! (see picture in ppt)
---Crisis in Syria
• Syria is a small country located between Iraq and Turkey, with a powerful military. Before the Arab Spring, Syria was ruled by the Assad family as a dictatorship. • In 2011, demonstrations against the Assad turned violent. By 2012, a full civil war
• The USA supports some of the rebels in theory, but many of them consider us enemies. Russia and China support the Assad regime.
• To make matters more complicated, the Syrian military has a lot of chemical weapons, very dangerous. Someone used chemical weapons in August, 2013; evidence points to Assad, though this is still in dispute.
---Places to Know (see map below)
• Israel – Jewish state, founded in 1948.
“Occupied Territories”
• West Bank – Palestinian area between Jerusalem and Jordan River, run by FATAH. • Gaza Strip – Palestinian area on Mediterranean coast, run by HAMAS.
• Golan Heights – Syrian territory, occupied by Israel for military reasons in 1967. • Sinai Peninsula – Part of Egypt, captured by Israel in 1967, given back to Egypt in
1979 as part of peace agreement.
• Zionism - Political movement for a Jewish homeland. Jews to return to “Promised Land”.
• Organized by ______________________________________in 1897.
• Why? Jews faced _________________ and _________________ throughout their history. Worldwide sympathy for Jews after WW2.
• Jews started moving to _________________________________ in 1890’s – 1930’s.
• Conflict with local Arabs over land, water, business.
---How was modern Israel created?
United Nations settled on Palestine for a Jewish Homeland • Why Palestine?
1. Ancient kingdom of Israel, “__________________________________”
2. Not very crowded in the 1940’s
3. Controlled by Britain, which was willing to give it to Jews
4. Political movement by Zionists, already settling there
1948 – ____________________________________________ divided Palestine into 3 sections: 1. Israel – for Jews
2. Palestine – for Arabs
3. Jerusalem – run by UN for all groups
Immediately triggered the 1948 war, first of many Arab-Israeli wars.
• Israel believes it has a right to exist.
• Arab nations feel that Israel was _____________________ upon them by the West.
• Both sides became part of the “Cold War”, aggravating the issue. Arabs and Israelis fought several large wars and many small ones. The three most important ones are:
• ______________– “War of Independence”/ Nakba : Arab armies invaded, Arab refugees fled, hoping to return after war. Israel won. These refugees became today’s Palestinians.
• ______________ – Six Day War : Egypt, Syria prepped for war, but Israel hit first. Total win for Israel, occupied lots of territory, including West Bank, Gaza, and Golan Heights, and captured Jerusalem.
• ______________ – Yom Kippur War : Arab militaries struck Israel during holiday, when Israeli military was on leave. Close call for Israel, which relied heavily on US support. Israel won.
• Major wars ended after Camp David Agreements (1977-1978), peace between Egypt and Israel, later Jordan. Other Arab countries still officially hostile, but no large wars since.
---• In the 1948 war, many Arabs left their homes, living in _________________ camps in the West Bank and Gaza. After 1967 War, Israel expanded into this captured land, and occupied it directly.
• Most Palestinians live in West Bank and Gaza, area which are crowded and poor. Formed the “_______________________________________ (PLO)” to fight Israel. • Peace negotiations have gone on since 1990, but several uprisings, called
“Intifadah” have occurred.
• Two main groups against Israel:
– ________________ – Once part of PLO, controls the West Bank, backed by Arab countries.
Jerusalem is a holy city for ____________, ____________________, and _________________. It has been fought over for thousands of years.
• In the 1967 “Six Day War”, Israel captured the entire city, and made it the capital of Israel. Part had previously been controlled by Jordan.
• The Palestinians see it as part of the West Bank, and thus belonging to them.
• The “Western Wall”, part of the ruins of the main temple of Judaism, is considered the holiest site by Jews.
• The “Dome of the Rock” is a mosque where Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven.
• Both sites are on the same hill, with constant tensions between Jews and Muslims.
---Occupied Territories
• The Palestinian controlled territories of ________________ and ____________ are both crowded and poor.
• Travel and business are difficult due to the large number of __________________ and ________________________ put into place by Israel.
• Occupied territories are further divided up by Israeli settlements and roads only usable by Israelis, especially the West Bank.