1. Middle East and Oil Politics How the West meets East US investments in Arab nations ⇒ oil to the United States ⇒ US bombs and missiles against Arab nations Libyan cartoonist

2. Religions Three Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, Islam) Judaism – Founded 3500 years ago Christianity – Founded 2000 years ago Islam – Founded 1400 years ago - Jesus, Moses, Abraham prophets - Muhammad final prophet Islam principal holy places Mecca – birth place of Muhammad, holiest place Medina – burial site, second holiest place Jerusalem – Night Journey by angel Gabriel to see signs from Allah (Dome of the Rock 691 CE ) Jews Jerusalem – Temple Mount (1 st and 2 nd temples) Western/Wailing Wall (2 nd Temple remnant from Roman destruction in 70 CE) Christians Jesus’ death and resurrection site

3. League of Nations – territorial mandates in Middle East Mandates included: France: Syria and Lebanon Great Britain: Iraq, Kuwait, Palestine, Libya, Trans-Jordan Problems of European dominance in the ME: Religions: Judaism, Islam, Christianity Languages: Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, Kurdish, Armenian Borders Tribalism: read for HW Nationalism/Independence 1923 – Trans-Jordan from Britain 1930 – Iraq from Britain; new borders - limited access to Persian Gulf and religious/ethnic tension prevailed 1936 – Egypt from Britain, but British military control Suez Canal until 1956 (Suez Crisis) After WWII – Lebanon, Syria, Jordan

4. Why is the West in the Mid East? US maintains an active role in Middle East b/c: 1. Flow of oil 2. Promotion of democracy 3. Fear of nuclear proliferation (Iran) 4. US-Israel alliance vs. Arab world Oil reserves around the Persian Gulf Strait of Hormuz Pirate/terrorist attacks - Political unrest Spills and disruptions in shipments During WWI US produced 2/3 of world's oil Britain and France relied on ME Post-WWI military technology – coal to oil GB + US companies in Iraq, Iranian, Saudi Arabia (1930s) ARAMCO (Arab-American Oil Company) strike big WWII starts new trouble - US/Britain occupied Iran FDR, post-WWII, aid to devastated Saudi Arabia - began strong relationship between the two Extraction of Arab oil required Western tech. - competing cultural influences to Islam