Ethnic & Religious Conflicts

Israel & Palestine: A 50-Year Conflict  Background  Israel was called “Palestine” before  Both Jews and Arabs have religious roots to Palestine/Israel; each group claims it as their homeland.  Jews kicked out of Palestine many years ago; in the meantime, Muslims settled there  The beginning  Jews wanted to come back to their homeland because they were being persecuted against  Zionist idea: coming back would make them safe  Arabs unhappy!  Jews begin to immigrate in anyway

Israel & Palestine  WW1 & WW2  WW1 established Britain as the country to control Palestine  WW2 allowed British and American sentiment to the Jews  Why?   more Jewish immigration into Palestine!  United Nations create boundary proposal in 1947; Palestinians (Muslims) reject it  Establishment of Israel  Britain establishes the Jewish state of Israel in May, 1948   WAR! 

The Events & Agreement  Constant warfare over time  Resolutions & Agreement  Camp David Agreement: Jimmy Carter (1978)  Between Egypt & Israel  Sinai would be released to Egypt; agreed to negotiate about having an autonomous government in the West Bank & Gaza Strip  Camp David Summit: Bill Clinton (2000)  Tried for negotiations…but still divided today, especially when violence resumed in d/interactive/2011/sep/14/map- israel-palestinian-territories

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Iranian Revolution: Background  Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, restored into power with the help of the USA  What he did:  Created a one-party state  Gave women freedoms  Created a modern economy  Seen as a “puppet” for the West (USA, in particular)  Also disliked by conservatives, who didn’t believe women should have ANY power  Lived a LAVISH lifestyle

Iranian Revolution  1978: People who opposed the Shah began protests in the capital city of Tehran  Conservatives, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, unhappy with women’s freedoms  Middle class: wanted more freedom  January 1979  Shah and family flee Iran  Khomeini establishes a theocracy ruled by Islamic religious leaders

Iran Under Khomeini  Country now led by Khomeini and an army of “spiritual enforcers” (Revolutionary Guards)  Women lost rights  Couldn’t vote  Required to wear full head coverings and full-body cloaks  Viewed United States as “the Great Satan” and an “enemy of Islam”

Iranian Hostage Crisis  Iranians angry with USA after the US allowed the former Shah to come to the country for cancer treatment  November 4, 1979  Iranian college students swarm US Embassy in Tehran, capture 66 Americans  14-month standoff: USA vs. Iran  Botched rescue operation by USA to 8 American deaths  Yellow ribbons worn for support of captured Americans  Hostages released after 444 days—the moment Ronald Reagan took the oath of office (January 20, 1981)

What happened next?  Shah died in 1980  Ayatollah Khomeini died in 1989, but tensions remained between US government & Iranian government  Current issue: nuclear weapons  Civilians in Iran see USA more favorably (they like our freedom)  Current SUPREME leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei  Lifetime appointment  Current head of government: Hassan Rouhani (NOT Ahmadinejad)

Gulf Wars  Iraq-Iran War:  War over border disputes between Iraq & Iran from  Persian Gulf War: 1990s  Iraq vs. Kuwait  Began when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, took over oil fields  U.S., other Middle Eastern countries teamed up together to get Hussein out of Kuwait; succeed!  Also placed an embargo, or trade ban, against Iraq  “As long as oil is still the #1 energy producer, oil-purchasing countries will work to protect it!”

Arab Spring (Still Ongoing)

Brief Background  Series of protests in the Middle East  December 2010-present  Began with “burning man” protest in Tunisia  Protests of police corruption  Why? Some factors:  Absolute rule  no voice in the people  Government corruption  Human rights violations  Wealthy gov. with people in poverty  Unemployment  To date:  Governments overthrown in Tunisia, Libya & Egypt  Civil disorder in Syria & Yemen  Major protests in Algeria and Iraq (and now Syria)

Egypt  Height: January 25-February 11, 2011  Inspired by “burning man” protest in Tunisia  Mainly non-violent demonstrations, civil marches  Call for President Mubarak’s resignation  Government response  Internet is shut down from January 27-February 5, 2011  Foreign journalists jailed, some beaten (eventually released)  Mubarak claims he would not step down  A day after refusing to step down, Mubarak resigns as president & leaves Cairo  Current President: Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi currently in the process of joint forces against ISIS/ISIL

Libya  February 2011-October 2011  Protest corrupt leadership of Muammar Gaddafi  Natural resource, petroleum, contributed to high GDP per capita; people still living in poverty, still high unemployment rates  Also poor healthcare system, untreated sewage  Protests  CIVIL WAR  UN’s role:  Security Council froze assets of Gaddafi, which prevented them from travelling too far  Established no-fly zone to protect attacks on civilians  Interim governing body replaced Gaddafi government in September  Gaddafi captured & killed on October 20,2011  Still clashes and conflicts in the region; current PM: Abdullah al-Thani

“We’ll stay here until the pain is gone.” Rebels celebrating the death of Gaddafi

ONGOING: Syria  March 2011-present  Began with protesting the torture of students who had put up anti-government graffiti  Crackdowns by President Bashar al-Assad  open fire on demonstrators  CIVIL WAR!  Christians, others fleeing to Iraq; economic sanctions placed against Syria  Parts of eastern Syria currently under ISIS control  Infectious diseases and deaths resulting from these have risen due to a lack of sanitation, decreasing access to health care, and an overall decline in standard of living

ISIS/ISIL  Radical Islamic group terrorizing Middle Eastern Countries (break-away group from Al Qaeda, who have since condemned them)  Ultimate goal: creation of a Sunni Islamic state in Iraq & Syria (didn’t gain much traction until June, 2014)  US, other western countries respond with air strikes: September 2014  Almost 1,500 militants have died as a result, but terrorist attacks and public beheadings have continued as ISIS acquires more land in the region