The Middle East

1. TheMiddle East

2. Middle East Overview • Background • Culture and Religion • Economic and Social Issues • Politics and Government

3. Middle Eastern Countries • Algeria • Bahrain • Egypt • Iran • Iraq • Israel • Jordan • Kuwait • Lebanon • Libya • Morocco • Oman • Qatar • Saudi Arabia • Syria • Tunisia • Turkey • United Arab Emirates • Yemen

4. Overview Video

5. Middle Eastern Culture • Major ethnic groups in the Middle East today include Arabs, Iranians (also known as Persians), Turks, Jews, Kurds, Berbers, Armenians, Nubians, Azeris, and Greeks • Most of the countries in this region are multiethnic

6. Middle Eastern Culture • The family is an important part of culture in the Middle East • In traditional Arab societies the family unit is an extended family—cousins, grandparents, second cousins, cousins-in-law, nieces, nephews, and more—all living together

7. Middle Eastern Culture • Difference between life in the village and life in the city • Two men in Egypt can share the same language (Arabic), religion (Islam), and nationality (Egyptian) • One may live in an air-conditioned apartment • The other may live in a naturally cool mud-brick house surrounded by three generations of relatives

8. Middle Eastern Culture • Technology is beginning to change all of this • Today remote villagers are gaining access to all of the information and technology formerly available only in the city • Satellite dishes • Cell phones

9. Middle Eastern Culture • Many languages, three families • Semitic (including Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic) • Indo-European (Kurdish, Persian, Armenian) • Altaic (Turkish, Azeri) • The multiplicity of languages spoken in the Middle East reflects its ethnic diversity • Most of these languages come from three major language "families"

10. Middle Eastern Religions • Christianity • Judaism • Islam • All have the following in common: • One God • Descendents of Abraham • Accept some concept of judgment day • Existence of free will and human sin • Necessity of repentance

11. Comparison of Religions

12. Social Issues The sense of shared identity and fate among Muslims is coupled with a Muslim perception that the non-Muslim world is united against Islam

13. Social Issues • Dangerous currents, among both Muslims and Westerners, threaten to turn academic chatter about a clash of civilizations into a reality • “Umma-itis”—The growing tendency for younger Muslims to believe they are part of an embattled supranational community, the umma

14. Social Issues • Causes Muslims to view all western actions as attempts to oppress Islam • Causes westerners to view all Muslims as jihadists

15. Social Issues • Muslims are now increasingly inclined to stress their religious identity • This globalization of Muslim identity is helping to fuel a revival of a shared interest • The extent to which this sense of common victimization gains traction, the more likely it is to feed the perception that there are, in reality, two civilizations in conflict

16. Economics • 2008 unemployment rates in the region average 9.4%, with low female participation in the labor force (22%) • Close to 30% of the population lives on less than two dollars per day • Rapid demographic growth only exacerbates the numbers of unemployed and disenchanted youth

19. Economics World Proved Oil Reserves (in billion barrels) • North America 210 • Central, South America 123 • W. Europe 14 • Eurasia 99 • Middle East 746 • Africa 117 • Asia and Oceana 34 Source: PennWell Corporation, Oil & Gas Journal, Vol. 106.48 (December 22, 2008)

20. World Crude Oil Reserves

21. U.S. Crude Oil Suppliers—Thousands of Barrels/day as of Nov 2009 • Canada 1,984 • Mexico 951 • Nigeria 948 • Saudi Arabia 837 • Venezuela 809 • Iraq 458 • Angola 408

22. Scarcity of Water • Ten countries in the region are consuming more than 100% of their renewable water supplies • Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Republic, Yemen, and Palestine (the West Bank and Gaza) • The degradation of water quality is also a major issue

23. Scarcity of Water • By 2025, the following countries are expected to face “absolute water scarcity” (not enough water to grow 1990 levels of food, less than 500 Cubic Meters/Capita): • Egypt • Iran • Iraq • Israel • Jordan • Kuwait • Oman • Libya • Syria • Saudi Arabia • Tunisia • UAE • Yemen

24. Politics and Government • As with everything else in this region, religion plays a role in national and international politics as well • Turkey has a Muslim majority, but is officially a secular nation • Other countries in the region identify themselves with a specific religion, mostly Islam • The poor relations between Israel and most of its Arab neighbors are sometimes described in terms of a perpetual religious conflict between Jews and Muslims—this is not necessarily true

25. Politics and Government • Control over important historical sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is a factor in the Arab-Israeli disagreements • Many of the details that stall negotiations have more to do with control of land and access to water resources than religion • Furthermore, many Palestinians who demand restitution for their property are Christian, not Muslim • Egypt's historic treaty with Israel provides a model for how Muslim and Jewish neighbors can live peaceably

26. What Israelis and Palestinians Want • Land—Both sides lay claim to land that has changed hands many times since biblical times • Property—Both sides owned property that is now under the other’s control • Water—Always a scarcity in the region; control of the water is ultimately control over life • Nation—Both sides also want an independent nation to call their own, yet neither is willing to give up enough to make this happen

27. Middle East Summary • Background • Culture and Religion • Economic and Social Issues • Politics and Government

28. The Middle East • Questions

29. The Middle East • Student Presentations • Discussion