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Conflicts in the Middle East

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• Regional Issues
• French North Africa
• The Creation of Israel
• Changes in Egypt and Iran
• The Arab-Israeli Conflict
• Revolution in Iran
• Conflict in Iraq

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Regional Issues
Over the last few decades, major conflicts have
erupted in the Middle East. Issues that have
contributed to the conflicts include the presence
of huge oil reserves, the growth of Islamism, and
the conflict between Israel and its neighbors.
However, oil has also been a source of conflict.
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Importance of Oil

• Oil as source of conflict in Middle East
• Some governments have used oil revenues to build
  up military, maintain power, threaten neighbors
• Oil wealth has caused internal clashes within
  countries, societies
• Regions strategic importance as source of oil
  has led outside nations to become involved in
  Middle Eastern affairs, politics

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Growth of Islamism
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French North Africa
After World War II, France faced growing
nationalist movements in its North African
protectorates of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
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Algeria

• Algeria
• 1830, France first took control of some areas in
  Algeria
• 1950s, more than 1 million European settlers in
  area, owned best land, dominated economy, had
  grip on political power

• National Liberation Front
• 1954, group of Algerian nationalists formed
  National Liberation Front (FLN)
• FLN began campaign of armed attacks against
  French targets
• French responded with mass arrests, raids on
  Muslim towns

• Attacks on Settlers, Reprisals
• Next year FLN directly targeted French settlers
  attacks killed more than 100 people in one city
• French forces, groups of settlers responded by
  attacking Muslims between 1,200 and 12,000
  Muslims killed in reprisal attacks

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French Responses
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De Gaulle

• De Gaulle hoped to satisfy both French settlers,
  Algerian nationalists
• Wanted to give Algeria limited degree of
  self-government
• Faced violent reaction from French settlers, who
  did not want France to give up any control
• Violent reaction also from nationalists, wanted
  full independence
• De Gaulle decided French rule could not be
  maintained in Algeria
• February 1961, opened peace talks with FLN
• 1962, signed agreement granting Algeria
  independence

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The Creation of Israel

• Nationalism led to the creation of Israel
• Late 1800s Jewish nationalist movement of Zionism
  growing
• Jews calling for an independent state in ancient
  homeland

Jewish leaders accepted the proposal, but Arabs
did not. Despite Arab objections, the UN passed a
resolution supporting the partition as valid.
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Independence and War

• As British pulled out of Palestine, David
  Ben-Gurion, other Jewish leaders, declared birth
  of democratic State of Israel, May 14, 1948
• Ben-Gurion later became Israels first prime
  minister
• Day after Israel declared independence, armies
  from Arab countries of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon,
  Transjordan, Iraq invaded Israel, launching first
  Arab-Israeli war

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Refugee Problems

• Arab-Israeli war caused massive refugee problems
• By end of fighting around 700,000 Palestinian
  Arabs had become refugees
• Fled or expelled from areas that Israel took
  control of, as well as from general war, chaos
• Jewish refugees fled Arab countries and resettled
  in Israel

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What events led to the creation of Israel as an
independent state?
1947 Britain announced it was giving up
control of the mandate UN
proposed to partition Palestine into a Jewish
state and an Arab state 1948 Jewish leaders
declared birth of the State of Israel
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Changes in Egypt and Iran

• Israels victory had effects throughout the Arab
  world.
• The victory discredited many of the regions
  leaders, and young nationalist leaders came to
  power in places such as Egypt and Iran.

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• Nasser
• Out of dissatisfaction came 1952 military coup
  led by 34-year old colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser
  forced King Farouk out of power
• Nasser, followers abolished monarchy, created
  single government party, undertook ambitious land
  reform program to gain support among poor

• Suez Crisis
• Nasser became most important figure in Arab world
  after confrontation with Britain, France, Israel
  over Suez Canal
• Suez Crisis had roots in politics of the Cold War
• After Nasser came to power, refused to join
  Baghdad Pact, U.S.-led alliance against communism
  in Middle East

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Growing Crisis

• Dealing Arms
• Nasser requested western countries sell him arms
  they refused
• Turned to Soviet-controlled Czechoslovakia,
  signed arms deal
• U.S., Britain responded by refusing to loan Egypt
  money to build Aswan Dam

• Nationalizing the Canal
• Nasser enraged that funding denied for building
  dam on Nile River
• Decided to nationalize, take control of, Suez
  Canal, which was owned by international company
  controlled by Britain, France

• Growing Hostility
• Nassers action celebrated as act of defiance by
  people in Arab world
• British, French outraged by seizure of property
• Hostility also growing between Egypt, Israel

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Pan-Arabism
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Conflict in Iran
When Mohammad Reza Pahlavi became shah of Iran in
1941, British and Russian troops occupied parts
of his country.
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Coups

• Military Coup
• Many military officers upset with reforms, joined
  coup to replace Mosaddeq
• Coup supported by U.S., Britain

• Mosaddeq Overthrown
• Coup successful
• Mosaddeq overthrown, shah returned to power

• Reforms
• Shah began ambitious program of reforms,
  including land and literacy, womens rights
• Irans industry, education, health care improved

• Reforms Opposed
• Shah continued to rule with iron hand, secret
  police
• Reforms opposed by conservatives as moving away
  from traditional Islamic values

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• Conflicts with Israel
• 1948, Israel established since then most Middle
  Eastern countries have refused to recognize its
  right to exist
• Some countries have repeatedly attacked Israel,
  funded militant groups that conduct raids,
  terrorist attacks against Israelis

• Expansion of Israel
• Series of wars between Israel, neighbors has led
  to expansion of Israel
• Israel controls more land now than in 1948 when
  created
• Result many Palestinian Arabs live under Israeli
  control another source of tension, conflict in
  region

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The Arab-Israeli Conflict
The Arab-Israeli conflict that began in 1948 has
continued through the years. In 1967 and again in
1973, war erupted. Six years after the 1973 war,
Egypt and Israel singed a peace agreement, but
unrest among Palestinian Arabs in Israel remained
a major problem.
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Egypt Strikes Back

• Yom Kippur War
• Egypt, Syria determined to win territory back,
  launched Yom Kippur War, surprise attack against
  Israel in 1973
• Took name from Jewish holy day when attack began

• U.S. Support
• At first Arab troops made gains in war Israelis
  government, led by Golda Meir, not fully prepared
  for attack needed military support from U.S.
• With support, Israeli forces regrouped, pushed
  back Egyptian, Syrian armies

• Oil Embargo
• Both sides agreed to cease-fire after weeks of
  fighting
• During war, Arab members of OPEC declared oil
  embargo against countries supporting Israel
• Price of oil around world rose dramatically as
  result of refusal to sell oil

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A Peace Agreement
Until the late 1970s, no Arab nation had
recognized Israels right to exist.
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Palestinian Unrest

• Egypt, Israel made peace Palestinian Arabs
  continued struggle for nationhood
• 1947 UN partition plan had called for two states
  in Palestinea Jewish state, an Arab state
• After 1948 Arab-Israeli war, land set aside for
  Arab state occupied by Israel, Egypt, Jordan

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Tenuous Peace

• Intifada
• Palestinian youths battled Israeli troops in
  widespread street violence
• Israel responded with military, police
  resistance fighting continued to 1990s
• 1993, Arafat, Israeli prime minister Yitzhak
  Rabin negotiated Oslo Accords

• Oslo Accords
• Oslo Accords called for Palestinians to gradually
  gain control over governing West Bank, Gaza
• Israel, PLO supposed to sign permanent peace
  agreement by 1998

• Undermining Peace
• Extremists on both sides worked to undermine
  peace process
• Militant group Hamas launched suicide bombings in
  Israel
• 1995, Rabin assassinated relations between
  Israeli, Palestinian leadership soured

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Continuing the Conflict

• 2000second intifada began
• Palestinian youths joined by Palestinian security
  forces with guns
• Hamas sent suicide bombers into Israel to attack
  civilians

Armed conflict also erupted when Israeli soldiers
were kidnapped along borders with Gaza and
Lebanon. Israel launched air strikes to secure
its borders.
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Sequence of events in the Arab-Israeli conflict
1967 Six-Day War 1973 Yom Kippur War 1978
Camp David Accords 1987 intifada 1993 Oslo
Accords 2000 second intifada 2005 Israel
withdraws from Gaza
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Revolution in Iran

• Different Kind of Conflict
• Different kind of conflict erupted in Iran
• Revolution ousted shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi

• Westernization of Iran
• Shah had close ties with Western governments, oil
  companies
• Iran westernized, foreign influence grew

• Society Changed
• By 1970s, Iran had changed from traditional rural
  society
• Had become more industrialized, urban society

• Islamists Opposed Shah
• Many Iranians felt threatened by rapid change,
  others felt betrayed by corrupt government
• Islamists opposed shah because of ties to West

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Rise of Khomeini

• 1978, Iranians began to protest against shahs
  rule
• Protests inspired by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini,
  Shia religious leader
• 1979, unable to calm unrest, shah fled Iran
• Iran became Islamic republic with Khomeini as
  leader, during Iranian Revolution

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Khomeinis Reign
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Conflict in Iraq
As Irans new government was dealing with the
hostage crisis, it found itself at war with its
neighbor, Iraq.
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• Sanctions
• In effort to end Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, UN
  passed economic sanctions against Iraq sanctions
  failed
• Result U.S.-led coalition launched Persian Gulf
  War
• Attacked Iraqi forces in Kuwait Kuwait freed
  within weeks

• Weapons
• After war, UN continued economic sanctions,
  insisted Iraq destroy chemical, biological
  weapons, agree not to develop nuclear weapons
• Inspectors had been sent to verify Iraqs weapons
  had been destroyed
• Iraq failed to fully cooperate with UN weapons
  inspectors

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The Iraq War

• After attacks of September 11, 2001, some U.S.
  leaders believed Saddam Hussein posed a greater
  threat to America than before
• Hussein might have deadly weapons he could give
  to terrorists

Insurgent attacks by different groups from both
inside and outside Iraq caused a greater number
of casualties.
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Coalition Government

• Meanwhile, coalition worked to create new,
  democratic government in Iraq
• 2004, power transferred to Iraqis
• 2005, Iraqis voted in countrys first multiparty
  election in fifty years
• Later approved new constitution to make Iraq
  Islamic federal democracy
• Continued violence, potential for civil war made
  countrys future highly uncertain