1. Middle East-Geography
-crossroads for the people of Africa, Asia, and Europe
-an enormous diversity of people, belief systems, and cultures
-oil (brought power-important to global economy)
-oil is why countries around the world take an active interest in middle eastern affairs
-limited water supply (conflicts over water rights)

2. Geography Persian Gulf Strait of Hormuz
Suez Canal (important link between Europe and Asia)
*****Are all trade routes for petroleum exports to nations around the world

3. Muslims
Sunni (conservative)
Shiites (progressive)
Kurds (non-arab muslims:Syria, Turkey)
Jews
Christians
religious, racial, and cultural prejudices

4. Israeli/Palestinian conflict
People of Arab and Jewish decent fight over homeland. (Jewish Zionist)
1947 United Nations divide land half and half (Israel/Palestine)
Arabs did not accept this agreement
Wanted to restore Palestine

5. 1948 Israel invaded by 6 Arab States
Arabs were defeated
700, 000 Arabs become refugees (refused entry by neighboring Arab countries)
Refugee camps
Growing ethnic tension

6. PLO-Palestine Liberation Organization (1964)
Led by Yasir Arafat
Designed to destroy Israel
Terrorist attacks on Israel
Intifada-violent demonstrations by young Palestinians

7. SIX DAY WAR 1973-Egypt and Syria launch a war against Israel
Israelites: acquisition of Golan Heights, West Bank and the Gaza strip
as a result of the war oil prices sky rocket
OPEC:Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (refused to sell oil to countries friendly with Israel)

8. Peace Attempt Camp David Accords (1978)
Jimmy Carter(USA), Anwar Sadat (Egypt), Prime Minister Menachim (Israel)
Israel would return lands taken from Egypt in exchange for peace between the two countries

9. Peace Attempt Middle East Peace Conference (1991)
Oslo Accords (1993)- Itzhak Rabin (Israel) and Yasir Arafat (PLO)
gave Palestinians self-gov. over Gaza strip
PLO ended opposition to Israel's existence
Conflicts remain
because of terrorist groups

10. Iranian Revolution
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni
Restoring conservative Islamic fundamental beliefs
Extremely hostile to the West
No separation of church and gov.
Rights taken away from women
Encourage Muslims in other countries to overthrow secular governments

11. Iran-Iraq war (1980) Persian Gulf War (1990)
Sadaam Hussein- dictator in Iraq (Sunni)
Border dispute
Lasted 8 years
Persian Gulf War (1990)
1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait and seized its oil fields
United States orders a trade embargo on Iraq
Iraq refused to withdraw and Kuwait was liberated
Hoped this would get rid of Sadaam Hussein as a dictator, but did not

12. The Iraq War
2001
Prove they did not have WMD’s according to United Nations requirements
Invasion of Iraq and taking down Sadaam Hussein
Troops start to leave in 2011 (December)

13. The Talliban in Afghanistan
Imposed strict religious beliefs
al Queda-Islamic terrorist group
Osama Bin Laden-al Queda terrorist leader
War on Terrorism (2001)-goal to stabilize religion and establish democratic government

14. Continued importance of the Middle East to the global economy is based on its quantity of oil reserves
Economic development is limited because of political instability

15. Israel
includes women in all facets of society (democratic)
Iran and Afghanistan
more traditional
women do not have many rights
Saudi Arabia
women have the right to vote
Do not have the right to drive