THE MIDDLE EAST and the MIDDLE EASTERN CONFLICTS

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THE MIDDLE EAST and the MIDDLE EASTERN CONFLICTS

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  MAREK CEJKA

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Middle East or Near East?
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The Greater Middle East
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Umayyad CALIPHATE (661 - 750)
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Ottoman Empire
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The Greater Middle East and Islam
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Distorted and emotional view of the Middle East

• - Not only the public but also experts have a
  distorted view of the conflict.
• Several different reasons
• 1. superficiality in the information about the
  Middle East provided by the media only the
  bloodiest, most tragical events are reported on
  but not regular life.
• - The propaganda from all the sides of the
  conflict has an influence on the media.

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2. Prejudices and stereotypes

• Against Muslims (Islamophobia) and Arabs
  (anti-Arabism)
• especially after 9/11
• Posílení po 11. zárí 2001
• Against Jews (anti-Semitism)
• and against Israel (anti-Zionism)
• Misunderstanding of terms like
• "anti-Semitism", "anti-Zionism", "anti-Judaism"
  and "anti-Israelism"

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Specific issues of the Czech (and the
East-European) view

• Recent (Communist) past
• until 1989 Czech (and many Eastern-European)
  communist governments uncritically supported some
  Arab states which were allied to the Soviet Bloc
  (e.g. Syria, Iraq, Palestine) and condemned the
  "imperialist" Israel and Western allies in the
  Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Jordan, etc.).
• An ideologically distorted view of the Middle
  East (contrary to West Europe)

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• after 1989 (the fall of Communism) the views and
  the policies in regard to the Middle East were
  diametrically overturned this turning was
  reflected by many Czechs and Slovaks what was
  previously seen as "Good" came to be seen as
  "Bad", and vice versa (e. g. now Israel was seen
  as purely good, while Palestinians were viewed as
  a nation of terrorists)
• Black/White turned into White/Black

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• in fact the Middle East is not and never has been
  Black/White but the situation is rather more
  complicated
• the contemporary complicated situation is due to
  various different reasons (internal tensions, the
  policies of the UK and France since WW1, the
  policies of the USA and the USSR since 1945,...)
  
• for understanding the Middle East the simplified,
  distorted or Black/White sources of information
  are not sufficient
• a distorted or emotional view of the conflict is
  acceptable only in cases of person who are
  personally connected to it (e.g. Jews, Holocaust
  survivors, Muslims)
• but such a view is unacceptable when it is
  expressed by politicians, experts, political
  scientists, diplomats, etc.

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Middle Eastern Conflict or Conflicts?

• Israeli-Palestinian - since 1948 (1920)
• Israeli-Arab (since 1948)
• Conflicts in Persian Gulf (since 1990, 2003)
• Conflict in Lebanon (1975 1990)
• Conflict between Muslim States, Civil Wars
  (Jordan, Yemen, Iraq vs. Iran etc.)
• Afghanistan (XIX. XXI. Century)
• The Kurdish Question

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The Middle Eastern Conflicts Many differences
but also many Common Things

• In most of the cases are not religious conflict
  but TERRITORIAL NATIONALIST conflicts
• Religion started to play key role not since their
  beginning but later
• They do not have roots in ancient times but
  emerged in XIX. or XX. century (they are NOT
  since Biblical or immemorial times)
• Most of them are connected with activities of the
  Western Superpowers (especially GB, FR, later
  USSR, USA, Israel) tactics of divide et impera
  (divide and conquer)

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• For more see
• http//blizky-vychod.blogspot.com
• Mareks books
• Judaism and politics in Israel (2002, 2009)
• Israel and Palestine (2005)
• Encyclopedia of the Middle Eastern Terrorism
  (2007)
• Rabbis of our Time (2010, co-author)
• History of Modern Israel (2011)