History of southwest asia

After losing WW1, the ottoman empire was divided up into new territories. The league of nations allowed which two European countries to partition the region?

France and Great Britain

who was NOT nonsuited about the partitioning of the ottoman empire?

Arab countries

what was the problem with the way great Britain and France drew borders in the middle east?

drew borders without regard to which tribes, religious groups, and ethnic groups would be forced under one government.

What two things lie at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East?

Land and religion

Describe the conflict between the Shia and Sunni Muslims

Two groups do not agree on how the leader should be chosen; after European politicians drew new
borders, both groups were merged together in one country (Iraq), where they have longed battled
for power

What do you think would be different in Iraq if the Sunnis and Shiites each had their own country?

less conflicts

Which ethnic group did not have any land given to them when Europeans partitioned the region?

Kurds

How has this impacted their livelihood?

Hussein attempted to eliminate Iraq’s Kurdish
population
-were vulnerable to extreme persecution

What connection can you make between Kurds and Jews? Explain.

-Faced persecution
-eliminated
-struggle to survive

List five ethnic/religious groups who have fought conflicts over land and/or religion in the Middle East since the mid-1900s:

1. Shia
2. Sunni
3. Arab
4. Jew
5. Kurds

Even though Israel did not exist 100 years ago, Jewish people have felt a religious connection to the land that dates back thousands of years. Why is this so?

Many sites and artifacts that are sacred to Jews can be found here today, including the Western Wall
of their ancient temple

What is anti-Semitism?

Hatred of Jews

List examples of anti-Semitism in Europe during the early 1900s:

Refusal to let Jews own land, businesses, or go to public schools

What caused an enormous rise in anti-Semitism during the 1920s and 1930s?

Hitler’s Nazi party came to power & blamed Jews for Germany’s problems following WWI

What was the state-supported systematic killing of over 6 million Jewish people called?

holocaust

Many Jewish immigrants fled to _______________ to escape religious persecution in Europe.

Palestine

What were the two central ideas of Zionism?

believe Jews should have their own state and creation of Israel by law

In which year did WWII end?

September 2, 1945

How do Palestinian Arabs feel about the creation of Israel?

Palestinians refused to recognize Israel as a nation and as soon as it was established, fighting broke out.

Which country was divided in two in 1948, resulting in the creation of Israel?

Palestine

What two things do US interests in the Middle East center around today?

oil and security from terrorism

Iraq invaded which country in 1990? And what was the purpose for this invasion?

Iraq wanted to gain access to the Persian gulf and Kuwait's oil wells.

Why did the US get involved in the Persian Gulf War?

The US was concerned about this invasion, as a lot of the country's oil came from Kuwait & Saudi Arabia.

How did the Persian Gulf War end?

US and other nations attacked Iraq and won after 6 weeks, Iraq left but burned Kuwait oil fields.

Why did the US military invade Iraq in 2003?

The US believed Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and was aiding al-Qaeda.

Who was the dictator leader of Iraq during both conflicts with the United States?

Saddam Hussein

Name three problems that Iraqis have faced since US forces left in 2011:

Roadside bombings, civilian injuries and deaths, battles between Shia and Sunni Muslims

What happened on September 11, 2001?

hijacked two planes and crashed them into the twin towers knocking them both down.

What led the US to invade Afghanistan in 2001?

Afghanistan government was believed to be sheltering and aiding Bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

What were the results of that invasion?

The US defeated the Taliban and set up a democratic government in Afghanistan. Bin Laden escaped for 10 years but was found and killed in Pakistan in 2011.