3.  Most of the country is between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers  Farming was the main activity until the 1920’s  Oil fields discovered  Billions spent on development of country (roads, hospitals, airports, universities, irrigation….)

4.  Iraq seeking to become dominant power  Stalemate: many lives lost, no territory gained  Iraq couldn’t ship it’s oil, so had to buy weapons on credit  U.S. support against Iran  Iraq heavily in debt

5. That guy on the left? That’s Donald Rumsfeld. Twenty years after this he would orchestrate the war against Saddam.

6.  Hussein declared Kuwait part of Iraq (for it’s oil)  Coalition of Western forces drove them out in 1991  Economic sanctions (can’t sell it’s oil)  85,000 dead soldiers  Baghdad badly damaged

7.  “Empty Quarter” = desert the size of Texas  No bodies of fresh water  Biggest oil reserves of any country

8.  Before oil  Fishing on the coasts  Farming and herding at the oases  Bedouin nomads herded in the deserts

9.  Enormous wealth  People move to the cities  Live in modern, AC houses  Executives, engineers, programmers

10.  Much money/few people = improved standard of living  Health care is nearly free  22 Desalination plants  Seawater into freshwater

11.  Oil reserves have 30-60 years left  Countries are starting to look to other industries (banking, chemicals…)  Require many foreign workers  In some countries, more foreign workers than citizens

12.  Different from other countries – Islam but NOT Arabic  Different languages, different ancestors

13.  Scholars and Merchants from the Middle East introduced the Turks of Central Asia to Islam.  When the Turks began conquering the Middle East, they came as Muslim warriors.  Language and culture are Turkish, NOT Arab.

14.  WWI ends in 1918, and winners divide up Ottoman Empire  Mustafa Kemal led a revolution against the Sultan – declares Republic of Turkey in 1923.  Modernization- separation of church and state  Outlawed fez, veils  Women could vote, hold office. Everyone could attend school

15.  Unstable economy since the ’60s  Constant conflict between secular and Islamic groups for control  Battles with Kurdish separatists in SE Turkey  Despite this- most industrialized country in Middle East  One of the only freely elected governments in the M.E.

16.  Persians arrived in Iran 3,000 years ago  Empire was conquered by Arabs in 600’s

17.  Part of the Islamic Empire until about 1200 AD.  Most Persians converted to Islam, but kept Persian heritage  Speak Farsi, not Arabic

18.  1925- Army officer Reza Khan seizes power and declares himself Shah  At this time, most were nomadic herders or farmers  Shah opens schools, builds roads/railroads, encouraged industry and gave more rights to women  His son continued modernization

19.  1979- Ayatollah (religious leader) Khomeini seizes power  Rejects anything seen as “western”  Westerners deported, women back to traditional garb  Strict adherence to Sharia- Islamic law

20.  Shah tells Shi’ite minorities in all Islamic countries to rise up against Sunni oppressors.  Leads to long, bloody, pointless war with Iraq 1980-88.

21.  Led by President Ahmadinejad- conservative who many have accused of election fraud  Labeled by the UN as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism”  UN Security Council calling for Iran to stop Uranium enrichment program  High rates of human trafficking, drug shipping

22.  Islamic Republic of Afghanistan  2/3 of land is rugged and mountainous  They speak a dialect of Farsi

23.  One of the poorest nations in the world-near the bottom in every indicator  War and instability keep economy down  Biggest export is opium, 93% of the world’s supply

24.  Social and communal roles are based on kinship groups and Islamic tradition  Soviet domination – Islam was the way to express opposition  80% of the nation is Sunni

25.  Many empires have controlled this area: Persians, Alexander the Great, Turks, Arabs, Persians again, the Mongol Hordes, Turks again, British, Russians, and finally-themselves.

26.  Rose to power as a reaction to warlord-ism and lawlessness following Soviet occupation. Full power by 1998  Strict interpretation of Sharia- atrocities against non-believers, minorities and women.  1990s- provided sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden and Al-Qaida

27.  Bin Laden launched many terrorist attacks during the 90’s, culminating in 9/11  After refusing to turn him over, a Western Coalition invaded Afghanistan in Oct/2001  The Taliban fell apart, and Kabul fell one month later – troubles were just starting

28.  85% of people work in agriculture –many in poppy fields  Many are beginning to work towards legal crops  Unemployment still around 40%  Life expectancy around 44 years, high infant mortality – although numbers are improving  U.S. support of health care and education