Middle East Forces Shaping the Modern Middle East

Middle East • Forces Shaping the Modern Middle East – Religious & Ethnic Differences • Judaism, Christianity & Islam • Over 30 different languages • Differences have led to divisions – Natural Resources • Oil and water – Governments • Mainly authoritarian (dictators or monarchs), few democracies (Israel & Turkey). – Islamic Traditions • Many Islamic reforms over the last 30 years have seen Muslims resorting back to the laws of the Quran and the Sharia instead of Westernizing.

Middle East • Birth of Israel (Balfour Declaration) – A promise made by British Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour to create a homeland for the Jewish people in 1917. This was not realized until 1948. • Arab & Israeli Conflict – A series of wars were fought between the Jewish state of Israel and the various surrounding Islamic states. Religion was the core issue, while political and economic contentions made the wars have a global significance. – Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) : One time terrorist organization, now considered to be a legitimate political body whose goals have been to create a nation-state for the displaced Palestinians. The PLO was lead by Yasir Arafat until his death in 2004, the current leader is Mahmoud Abbas.