SOUTHWEST ASIA

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SOUTHWEST ASIA

• PERSIAN GULF AND THE INTERIOR

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ANCIENT HISTORY

• Cultural Hearths
• Centers of ideas, innovations and ideologies that
  change regions and realms
• Home of first Cultural Hearth
• Mesopotamia
• Between Tigris and Euphrates River
• Farmers used irrigation and food storage
• Domesticated cereal, vegetables, fruits, animals
• Developed calendar, math, astronomy, government
  and engineering
• Empirically controlled
• Been controlled by many empires including
  Sumerian, Persia, Mongols, Romans, Ottoman Turks
  

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HISTORY cont.

• Ottoman Turk Impact
• Ruled from 1453 until after WWI
• After WWI divided region into Syria, Iraq,
  Lebanon and Yemen controlled by British and
  French
• Didnt adequately define border so when colonies
  gained independence, created problems
• Oil
• Most important resource for outside world
• Within the realm, water and land most important
• About 65 of known reserves in world located here

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Impact of Oil

• American Influence on realm
• High Economics most countries upper-middle
  class
• Modernization brings money and business to pay
  for modernization
• Industrialization some use oil money to build
  lasting industries
• Intra-realm migration Shiites and Palestinians
  move into Arabia
• Saudi Arabia has 5 million foreigners in
  population of 23 million
• Disparities between oil rich and oil poor
  countries
• Foreign investment

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IRAQ

• Size of California with 65 of total land and 42
  of regions wealth
• Major oil reserves and large areas of irrigated
  farmland
• Site of Mesopotamia
• Modern Iraq
• Adversarial with neighbors
• Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria
• 3 regions
• Core around Baghdad, heart of country
• South around Basra, major oil fields, invasion
  of Kuwait in 1990
• North Land of Kurds and Sunni, but not Arab
  Sunnis
• Kurds want own country
• Treated poorly under Suddam

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Arabian Peninsula

• Saudi Arabia
• Mostly desert with huge oil reserves
• 22.9 million population with monarchy
• Created in 1920s and stabilized now friendly to
  west
• Currently trying to update social programs
• Economy entirely dependent upon oil
• Periphery
• Kuwait can cut Iraq off from Persian Gulf
• Bahrain island with dwindling oil supply
• Qatar declining oil but increasing natural gas
• UAE (United Arab Emirates) unique government
• Oman absolute monarchy that controls choke point
  of Hormuz Strait
• Yemen united in 1990s and created democracy,
  only one in region

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IRAN

• Formerly Persian Empire that ruled for 2500 years
• Controls area between Caspian Sea and Persian
  Gulf
• 69.4 million population with 63 urban
• Struggle between modernity and traditional
  Islamic rulers
• Revolution in 1979 that put in Ayatollah Khomeini
• 1980-1990 fought war with Iraq that left Iran
  very weak
• Late 1990s saw desire to liberalize, but put
  down by government
• Current US policies becoming a question

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MODERN ISSUES

• Economically dependent on oil
• OPEC Organization of Petroleum Exporting
  Countries
• Food importers
• Growing cities
• Capital of Islamic world
• What to do with Iraq?

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EASTERN MEDITERREANEAN
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ISRAEL

• Creation
• Created in 1948 as Jewish homeland with UN
  support with idea of Zionism
• May 14, 1948 created Israel with Arabic neighbors
  immediately attacking
• At end of war, Israel controlled 80 of what had
  been Palestine
• Wars
• 1967 week long war where Israel gains Golan
  Heights, West Bank and Sinai Peninsula
• 1973 war forces withdraw from Suez Canal
• 1978 Israel gives all of Sinai Peninsula back to
  Egypt

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MAJOR ISSUES MODERN ISRAEL

• Golan Heights
• Syria wants it back but Israel wants to keep it
• West Bank
• Originally set as Palestinian Homeland but Jewish
  migration now makes it difficult
• 1977 5,000 Jews in West Bank
• 2000 200,000 Jews in West Bank
• Palestinians
• Nation without a state
• Many live in Jordan but still large percentage
  living in Israel

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JERUSALEM

• Major issue in Middle East
• Suppose to be international city, but captured by
  Israel in 1967
• Now considered capital of Israel
• History
• Moses leads Jews into Philistine land and created
  Jerusalem where lived 40 centuries
• After King Solomon, kingdom divided and conquered
• AD 70 Rome destroys 2nd temple leaving only part
  of West Wall
• Under Rome became focus for Christians
• 700 AD Muslims move into Jerusalem

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JERUSALEM, cont.

• Holy Site for 3 major religions
• Western Wall Jewish
• Church of Holy Sepulcher Christians, place
  where Jesus buried
• Dome of the Rock Muhammad's ascension to heaven
  on Temple Mount
• Modern Issues
• 1948-49 captures only part of Jerusalem
• Tel Aviv suppose to be capital of Israel
• Jerusalem divided into 2 sections Old and New

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MODERN ISSUES, cont.

• Jerusalem
• 1967 Israel conquered West Bank and reunited
  Jerusalem with West mostly Jewish and East
  mostly Arabic
• 1980 called foreign nations to move from Tel Aviv
  to Jerusalem, but most didnt and Israel began
  huge resettlement attempt
• 1990s UN tells Israel to stop construction and
  settlement, but Israel not listening
• Modern Issues
• One of wealthiest nations in region
• 90 of population urban
• Water issues 30 of useable water under West
  Bank but Israel uses 4X as much water as
  Palestinians
• Finding peace biggest issue and problem

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West Wall
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Dome of the Rock
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OTHER NATIONS IN REGION

• Syria
• Shares border with Israel
• Lost Golan Heights in 1967 military republic
  since 1963
• 75 Sunni, but ruled by Alawites who suppress all
  dissension
• On Mediterranean Coast so can grow crops creating
  come self-sufficiency
• Damascus believed to be longest lived in city in
  world
• Needs Modernization
• Jordan
• East of Israel and depends upon Lebanon for Port
  Access
• 1946 population 400,000 with 1 million
  Palestinians refugees coming in 1948
• Received lots of aide, but hasnt really helped

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Other Nations, cont.

• Lebanon
• 25 population is Christian creating Civil War
• 1975 civil war after Muslim population grows and
  Christian doesnt
• Beirut destroyed and only 150,000 still lived
  there out of 1.5 million now being rebuilt
• Turkey
• Influenced by Chinese, Mongols, Russians,
  Byzantium and Islam
• Modern Turkey is remnants of Ottoman Turkish
  Empire
• Modern Problems
• 20 of population Kurdish creating human rights
  violations
• Islamic Fundamentalism gaining some support and
  strength
• Cultural conflict between Alevis Islam and Sunni
  Islam
• Wants EU membership but not likely
• Controls Bosporus and Dardanelles