Modern Geopolitical Issues…

1. Modern Geopolitical Issues… Chapter 7 Section 4

2. ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT… • Jewish migration into the region accelerated after WWI; • British had a mandate over Palestine (territory administered but not owned by a member of the League of Nations; • British issue “Balfour Declaration” in 1917. A key paragraph stated… • “His Majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people…it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of the existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine…” • Those “non-Jewish communities” were the Palestinian Arabs (Christian & Muslim) who greatly outnumbered the Jewish settlers in Palestine at the time. • Migration continued to peak throughout the 1930’s & Jewish settlers purchased much of the land from Arab landowners. Landless Arab peasants faced severe hardship & eventually joined other Arabs in attacking Jewish settlements; • After WWII Jewish refugees poured into the mandate of Palestine; as tensions grew the British, exhausted from WWII, turned it over to the UN & withdrew from the region. • In 1947 the UN divided the region into 2 states (see p. 303); • Arab Palestinians rejected the partition & when the British left, Jews declared the formation of the modern state of Israel. War erupted almost immediately as neighboring Arab countries refused to recognize Israel, which they saw as a creation of western powers eager to continue to dominate the region.

3. Arab-Israeli conflict… • By 1949, Palestine no longer existed & Arab Palestinians either became refugees or fled to neighboring nations; since then, Palestinians living under difficult conditions have continued to nurture the idea of regaining their homeland in what was now being called Israel. • Major wars were fought in 1956, 1967 (The “6 Day war); and 1973 and countless unofficial attacks have occurred between both sides costing many lives. • The US has been Israel’s biggest ally. • In 1964 the PLO is formed (Palestine Liberation Organization) to give voice to their desire to win self-rule. • The PLO has at times waged guerrilla war against Israel, and at the US & other nations who support Israel. • Many attempts at peace have been made & failed & many leaders within the region have been killed over their stand on this conflict. • A major sticking point of every attempted peace agreement is the creation of a Palestinian state AND control of Jerusalem (220 acres of land!!)

4. Modern Israel… • Israel is a true democracy – a rarity in this part of the world. • 90% of Israelis live in urban areas along the Med. Coast; • Israel has a mixed economy & is lacking in natural resources. Economic assistance from Jews in other parts of the world and from the US govt. have helped establish a strong economy. • Israel has developed its high tech & service industries very well; • Israel has a strong and well funded military., called the IDF (Israeli Defense Force). • military service is mandatory for Jewish men and Jewish women over the age of 18, although exceptions may be made on religious, physical or psychological grounds • Men serve three years in the IDF, while women serve two. The IDF allowed women who volunteer for several combat positions to serve for three years because combat soldiers must undergo a lengthy period of training. Women in other positions, such as programmers, who require lengthy training time may also serve three years. Women in most combat positions are also required to serve as reserve for several years after their dismissal from regular service. • Israel's GDP per capita in 2004 was $17200 ; with a total population of just over 7.1 million. • http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/israel-palestine/returnindex.htm

5. Politics of Fundamentalism… • 1978-1979 Shiite Muslim fundamentalists overthrow the Shah & proclaim an Islamic republic with religious officials controlling politics as well (“Ayatollah”). • Iran’s Islamic revolutionary fervor spills over into other countries; • Fundamentalists challenge political regimes, ideas about the role of women & western ideas & culture. • Sudan’s Sunni Muslim fundamentalists led a military coup in 1989 & imposed Islamic law upon Sudan’s moderate Sunni peoples as well as the large non-Muslim population in the south; this nation is in terrible strife with many refugees & a suspected genocide in Darfur (Western Sudan). • Sudan Genocide Genocide in Sudan • Last week the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged Sudanese President Omar Hassan al Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity — the first time in its history that it has charged a sitting head of state. Sudan's President Charged with War Crimes. Will He Be Tried? – TIME • Fundamentalism also currently threatens the peace in Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, & Saudi Arabia.

6. CONFLICTS WITHIN STATES… • Civil wars have long plagued the nations of this region… • Lebanon – Muslim/Christian differences; overspill from Israeli/Palestinian conflict; • Iraq – Saddam Hussein’s despotic rule & hostility from disconnected ethnic groups (Marsh Arabs…Kurds); US occupation (12,000 troops to withdraw by Sept. 09 – total removal of combat troops by summer of 2010; with all troops removed by December 2011; it has cost the lives of approx. 4,000 US troops & estimated economic cost is over 100 billion);the country continues to struggle to keep its fledgling democracy up and running despite continued resistance from insurgents; • Cyprus – hostilities rooted in historical geography & Ottoman rule have persisted throughout the 20th century prompting UN involvement & have economic effects up to today.

7. CONFLICTS BETWEEN STATES… • Religion, natural resources, border disputes & persistent cultural differences all contribute to political tensions that involve multiple states; • The strategic global importance of this region makes it important to try to settle these conflicts; • Most countries in this region spend a disproportionate amount of money on defense. • Peaceful democratic governments remain a rarity in this part of the world…begging the question of whether democracy & Islam are compatible.

8. Recent Conflicts… • Pro-democracy protests in Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen – all in recent weeks; • Removal of Egyptian leader H. Mubarak; • Removal of Tunisian leader Ben Ali; • Attempts to overthrow Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi; • What common threads can be traced through all of the above events? (PSSA assignment on Monday…)

9. Reasons for geopolitical tension • Cultural geography: the difficulties that come when different ethnic, religious & linguistic groups try to co-exist peacefully; • Ties to European colonialism: many present boundaries were imposed during Imperialism; • Unequal wealth distribution: some nations profit greatly from petroleum resources – others struggle with poverty & underdevelopment. • History of a tense, violent political history

10. Delayed Imperialism • Turkish Ottoman Empire dominated the region from 1550 to 1850. While their control dwindled toward the end of the 19th century their influence wasn’t replaced by European power until after WWI (1918). Europeans influenced but never directly controlled the region.

11. Protectorates… • Defined: when a nation/state remains autonomous but sacrifices its foreign afairs to an imperial power in exchange for “protection” from other Imperial powers; • This is how European imperialism impacted this region. France has protectorates in Tunisia & Morocco giving them a strong presence in the Maghreb.

12. Protectorates & a deal gone bad • The British had significant influence in Egypt (they engineered the Suez Canal); • During WWI Arab forces joined the British to help defeat the Ottoman Empire. In exchange the Arabs were promised they would gain Ottoman territories to create Arab States; but the British had also signed a secret agreement to partition the area with the French.

13. Deal gone bad • After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WWI the British honored their treaty with France & NOT with Arab groups; • Exception – the Saud family took control of the Arabian Peninsula & created the nation of Saudi Arabia. • The British also controlled Palestine as a mandate & made key decisions leading to the establishment of the modern nation of Israel.

14. Iraq after WWI • One former zone of the Ottoman Empire eventually became the nation of Iraq, but the boundaries combined 3 very dissimilar Ottoman provinces which put together ethnic groups who were deeply divided & bitter enemies who found themselves forced to live together in one independent nation. Those groups remain bitterly divided in Iraq today (Shiites, Sunni, Kurds)

15. Turkey after WWI • Region was partitioned by European powers following WWI. The Turks expelled the French, then the Greeks & under the leadership of Kemal Ataturk established a culturally unified, secular independent nation that was strong enough to stand up to European attempts to regain dominance in the region.

16. Losing colonial status • Between 1930 & 1960 SW Asia lost its colonial status but many of the imposed colonial-era boundaries shaped the region. These imposed boundaries formed the foundation of a number of ethnic, religious & political conflicts that persist up to the present.