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GeoPol_FINALS
Middle East
| Definition | Term |
|---|---|
| - includes countries mainly in Southwest Asia and part of North Africa. | “Middle East” |
| is more of a geographic term that includes the Caucasus region. | “West Asia” |
| the “land between the rivers” (Euphrates and Tigris). | Mesopotamia |
| Much of the region is covered by arid desert landscapes, particularly the Arabian Desert, which dominates the Arabian Peninsula. | Arabian Desert |
| - This is the largest continuous sand desert in the world, incorporating an area the size of France. - Only the majority of the inhabitants of the region live on its periphery. | Rub al Khali or “Empty Quarter” |
| - A crescent-shaped region stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. - It is known as the cradle of early civilization because of fertile soil and water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which supported early agriculture. | Fertile Crescent |
| - It is between Yemen and Djibouti. - A key route linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, and critical for oil and global shipping. (Connects the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea) - About 10–12% of global seaborne trade passes through this strait. | Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, and Gulf of Aden |
| In 1916, the British diplomat took a grease pencil and drew a crude line across a map of the Middle East. | Colonel Sir Mark Sykes |
| - The new borders ignored ethnic and tribal realities. - The agreement betrayed promises made to tribal leaders, causing unrest and extremism. | Sykes-Picot Agreement |
| - Leadership by community consensus; follow “Sunna” or “people of tradition” - Hanbali Tradition named by Ahmad ibn Hanbal (influenced the ultra-puritanical Salafi thought) | Sunni |
| - Leadership through the Prophet’s family (Ali) → “Party of Ali” - Three main divisions: Twelvers, Ismailis, Zaidis | Shia |
| the more religious among the Shia never accepted that a Sunni-led government should have control over their holy cities such as Najaf and Karbala, where their martyrs Ali and Hussein are said to be buried. | Iraq |
| The Ottomans divided the region into 3 administrative provinces: | Mosul: North (mostly Kurds) Baghdad: Center (mostly Sunni Arabs) Basra: South (mostly Shia Arabs) |
| They were the first group to pull away from Iraq. | The Kurds |
| - It was a brutal military campaign meant to crush Kurdish resistance. - Saddam’s forces took no prisoners and killed all males aged 15-50 they found during the eight-stage campaign. - Around 90% of Kurdish villages were destroyed. | The al-Anfal Campaign (1988) |
| were two important tribes that were promised control of the Arabian Peninsula. | The Saudi and the Hashemite family |
| The British named the Hashemite territory Transjordan, which means ? | “the other side of the Jordan River.” |
| Today, the majority of Jordan’s population is ? | Palestinian |
| When Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, many Palestinians fled to Jordan. | Six-Day War (1967): |
| (Syria) The Alawites were once commonly called ? | Nusayris |
| What family rules Syria; they are Alawite | Assad family |
| - It was first widely called ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) “The Levant” in Arabic is al-Sham - It then became ISIS | (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) |
| Members of the ISIS group hated being called ? | DAESH |
| It sounds similar to insulting or negative Arabic words. | - daes → someone who is sneaky, underhanded, sows discord/dissent - It rhymes with fahish → “sinner” and jahesh → roughly “stupid ass.” |
| - A region in central Iraq, roughly between East of Baghdad, West of Ramadi, and North of Tikrit. - Sunnis in this area often feel closer to Sunni tribes in Syria than to Kurds in the north and Shia in the south. | Sunni Triangle |
| - A narrow waterway in the Gulf - It is considered one of the most strategically important chokepoints in the world. - Around 20% of the world’s oil supply passes through it each day (depending on market conditions). | The Strait of Hormuz |
| The what rivalry is described as the core of the Middle East’s “Cold War.” Like the U.S.-USSR Cold War: | Saudi-Iran |
| Mustafa Kemal was given the surname ? | Atatürk. - “Father of the Turks” |
| This term is a bad label because it makes the events sound like a simple move toward democracy. | “Arab Spring” |
| - Ruled from Istanbul, at its peak, it stretched from Vienna to the Indian Ocean. - divided its territories into Vilayets (administrative areas), often based on tribes (e.g., Kurds in northern Iraq, tribal federations in parts of Syria and Iraq). | Ottoman Empire (1299–1922) |
| Shia Islam has several divisions: (3) | Twelvers Ismaili and Zaidi: Alawites and Druze: |
| The largest division of Shia Islam, following the twelve imams. | Twelvers |
| Disputes over the lineage of certain imams. | Ismaili and Zaidi |
| Offshoots considered outside traditional Islamic thought, especially by Sunnis. | Alawites and Druze |
| Administrative divisions in the Ottoman Empire based on tribal areas. | Vilayets |
| Created for the Hashemites, later renamed Jordan after 1948. | Transjordan |
| - is divided along sectarian lines (Shia, Sunni, and Christian), with Hezbollah (a Shia group) having a significant presence. - A sectarian state created by the French for Arab Christians, but now divided between various religious groups and militias. | Lebanon |
| A country created by the British, with demographic issues due to a Palestinian majority and a large refugee population. | Jordan |
| A multi-ethnic, multi-confessional state ruled by the Alawite Assad family, facing a civil war and potential breakup. | Syria |
| Kurdish self-declared autonomous region in Syria, seeking a greater Kurdistan. | Rojava |
| A minority sect of Shia Islam, the ruling group in Syria, with the Assad family in power since 1970. | Alawites |
| A 1982 Sunni uprising in Syria crushed by the Assad regime, leading to thousands of deaths. | Hama Uprising |
| a Kurdish separatist group fighting the Turkish government for Kurdish autonomy. | PKK: Kurdistan Workers’ Party |
| A Shia militant group in Lebanon, backed by Iran, with significant influence in southern Lebanon and parts of Syria. | Hezbollah |
| A densely populated region controlled by Hamas and heavily restricted by Israel | Gaza Strip |
| Landlocked territory with military significance, disputed by Israel and Palestinian factions | West Bank |
| - 1979 Islamic Revolution - Cannot escape Corruption - Look into Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner - People were hopeful about the revolution | Shirin Ebadi |
| The Birthplace of Islam | Saudi Arabia |
| What strategic territory does Israel hold that Syria historically wanted access to? | Golan Heights |
Created by:
Mayel