Where is the Middle East?
The Middle East is at the crossroads of three
Continents:
What is the Middle East Region?
• Areas west of Afghanistan/Pakistan including Iran
• Countries in Northern Africa along Mediterranean Sea
• Turkey
Why is Northern Africa included in the region?
Major Physical Features
• Sahara Desert
• Arabian Peninsula
• Jordan River
• Tigris River
• Euphrates River
• Nile River
• Red Sea
• Persian Gulf
• Suez Canal
2) Human
Physical Geography - Middle East: Climate
Regions
What climate type dominates the region?
Physical Geography - The Middle East: Natural
Vegetation
What is the dominant vegetation zone in the region?
Fresh Water
• Limited supplies in most countries
• Desalination plants – 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)
• ½ of world supply of petroleum is in Middle East
How does this affect you?
Physical Geog - The Natural Resources of the
Middle East
What is the dominant form of agriculture in the Middle
East?
What is Oil? Why is it Important?
Produced from microscopic marine plants and
animals, squeezed underground for millions of years.
Oil is a “finite 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) 2. All plastic is made from petroleum 3. Asphalt used in road construction 4. Synthetic rubber in tires
5. Fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides 6. Detergents, many drugs, and paints 7. Artificial fibers used in clothing (Nylon,
What is OPEC ?
•
OPEC
- “Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries”
•
Controls the price, production and distribution of oil.
What are our alternative energy sources?
•
Solar
•
Wind
•
Hydrogen
•
Nuclear
•
Vegetable oil
•
Grain alcohol –
Gasohol/Ethanol
3) Movement
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.
• Some countries in the Persian Gulf, on the other hand, have large populations of
Trade Routes and Choke Points
Suez Canal
•
Primary trade route connecting
Europe and Asia
•
Built in Egypt by the French in the
1850’s and 1860’s.
Straits of Hormuz
•
The Persian Gulf is a vital part of
the
world oil supply
.
•
It is in a very dangerous part of
the world.
•
It can easily be closed off by
History of the Middle East
“Fertile Crescent” of river valleys, was cradle of civilization, around 4000 BC.
• Nile River
• Jordan River
• Tigris River
• Euphrates River
Mesopotamia - 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
Middle East: Population Density
Why is the population density so high in central Egypt?
Cultures of the Middle East
• Majority speak Arabic (also Turkish, Farsi, Hebrew)
Middle Eastern Countries
• Related history, similar issues and challenges
• Religious conflicts, social turmoil
• Limited natural resources (especially water)
• Arid climate – hot and dry (136* in the shade in Libya!)
What three major religions began in
Middle East?
•
Judaism, Christianity, Islam
•
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.
What is Islam?
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 – Muhammad
• When – circa 610AD
• Where – Arabian Peninsula
• Holy Books – Quran (main text), Hadith (observations of Mohammed),
Major Concepts of Islam
• Islam means “submission to the will of God”. • Quran is considered the literal word of Allah,
given to Mohammed by the Archangel Gabriel.
• Sharia is Islamic law, covering nearly all aspects
of life. Used by many Islamic countries as basis for their own legal codes.
• Mosques 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
“Five Pillars” of Islam:
1.
Statement of Faith
2.
Prayer five times daily
3.
Fasting during holiday of
Ramadan
4.
Alms to the poor
5.
Visit holy city of
Mecca
at least once.
هللا لاإ هلإ لا نأ دهشأ
هللا لوـسر ًادمـحم نأ دهشأ
I declare that there is no deity except Allah.
Difference between Sunni vs. Shia?
• Two major sects 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 lead the Muslim world
(Umma) after Muhammad died.
• Over time, the groups developed different beliefs and practices. It is a little like the differences between Catholics and
Protestants.
• Many modern conflicts in the Middle East
Why are women covered up?
• Islam encourages modest 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.
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
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?
Why is there conflict with Iran?
• 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
Ayatollah Khomeini, 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 nuclear
weapons. The Iranian government calls the USA the “Great Satan”.
• Iran was once Persia, 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 sanctions
What are the Gulf Wars?
Conflicts between the USA, Iraq, and Iran tocontrol the Persian Gulf. Alliances shift – today’s ally is tomorrow’s enemy!
1. IRAN-IRAQ WAR (1980-1988): Iran vs. Iraq; Chemical weapons used by both sides, possibly a million people died. US supported Iraq and Saddam Hussein, but covertly sold weapons to Iran.
2. GULF WAR (1991): US vs. Iraq; Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait to take the oilfields. USA and coalition fought to protect Saudi and Kuwaiti oilfields. War stopped by UN with Saddam Hussein still in power.
3. IRAQ WAR (2003-2011): US vs. Iraq; USA and allies invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein. Sectarian
Kurds and Kurdistan
• The Kurds are a people who live in the Middle East, about 30,000,000 in all. They have their own language and culture, 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 Kurdistan.
The “Arab Spring” Revolts
The Arab Spring is a wave of demonstrations and
protests 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.
Arab Spring Revolts
The protests have shared techniques of civil resistance, as well as the use of social media
(Facebook and Twitter) to organize and coordinate.
Many demonstrations have met violent responses from authorities, as well as from pro-government militias and counter-demonstrators.
Results of the Arab Spring
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 was on between the Assad government and rebel factions, including some Islamists and some supported by Iran… not friends of the USA.
• 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.
Places to Know
• 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.
Creation of Israel
•
Zionism
- Political movement for a Jewish
homeland. Jews to return to “
Promised
Land
”
.
•
Organized by
Theodore Herzl
in 1897.
•
Why?
Jews
faced persecution and
genocide throughout their history.
Worldwide sympathy for Jews after WW2.
•
Jews started moving to
Palestinian region
in 1890’s – 1930’s.
How was modern Israel created?
United Nations settled on Palestine for a Jewish Homeland
• Why Palestine?
1. Ancient kingdom of Israel, “Promised Land” 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 – UN Resolution 181 divided Palestine into 3 sections:
5. Israel – for Jews
6. Palestine – for Arabs
7. Jerusalem – run by UN for all groups
Arab-Israeli Wars
• Israel believes it has a right to exist.
• Arab nations feel that Israel was forced 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:
• 1948 – “War of Independence”/Nakba: Arab armies invaded, Arab refugees fled, hoping to return after war. Israel won. These
refugees became today’s Palestinians.
• 1967 – 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.
• 1973 – 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.
Israel vs. Palestinians
• In the 1948 war, many Arabs left their homes, living in refugee 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 “Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)” to fight Israel.
• Peace negotiations have gone on since 1990, but several uprisings, called “Intifadah” have
occurred.
• Two main groups against Israel:
– Fatah – Once part of PLO, controls the West Bank, backed by Arab countries.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. 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
Occupied Territories
• The Palestinian controlled territories of
West Bank and Gaza are both crowded and poor.
• Travel and business are difficult due to the large number of security barriers and
checkpoints put into place by Israel.
• Occupied territories are further divided up
by Israeli settlements and roads only usable by Israelis, especially the West Bank.
• This builds resentment and leads to
