CRISIS AND CONFLICT:
Middle East and North Africa
There is a lot of stuff covered in this presentation, so strap in.
CONFLICT: Israel and the
Arab World
Creation of Israel
• Zionism- Political movement for a
Jewish homeland. Jews to return to
“Promised Land”. Organized by
Theodore Herzl in 1897.
• Why? Jews faced persecution and
genocide throughout their history.
Worldwide sympathy for Jews after
WW2.
• Jews slowly moved to Palestine in
1890’s – 1930’s. Conflict with local
Arabs over land, water, business.
How was Israel created?
United Nations settled on a part of the region of
Palestine for a Jewish Homeland
• Why Palestine?
1. Ancient kingdom of Israel, “Promised Land”
2. Not very crowded in the 1940’s
3. Controlled by Britain, which was willing to give it
to Jews
1948 – UN Resolution 181 divided Palestine into 3
sections:
1.
Israel – for Jews
2.
Palestine – for Arabs
3.
Jerusalem – run by UN for all groups
Immediately triggered the 1948 war, first of many
Arab-Israeli wars.
Arab-Israeli Wars
Israel believes it has a right to exist. Arabs feel that Israel was forced upon them
by the West. Both sides became part of the “Cold War”, aggravating the issue.
Arabs and Israelis fought several large wars and many small ones. The two most
important ones are:
•
1948 – “War of Independence”/Nakba: Arab armies invaded, Arab
refugees fled, hoping to return after war. Israel won. These refugees
became today’s Palestinians.
•
1967 – Six Day War: Egypt, Syria prepped for war, but Israel hit first. Total
win for Israel, Occupied lots of territory, including West Bank, Gaza, and
Golan Heights, and captured Jerusalem.
•
1973 – Yom Kippur War: Egypt, Syria tried to get territory back, surprise
attacked. Israel won, with USA aid. Led to “_oil embargo ______” on USA by
OPEC (Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries).
•
1978, ’82, and ’85 Lebanon Campaigns: Israel was attacked across the
border by the _PLO_________ and later by _Hezbollah___(a Lebanese Shia
resistance movement sponsored by Iran).
•
Israel invaded Lebanon to create a “safety zone” in southern Lebanon twice
– once in 1982, again in 2006.
Major wars ended after Camp David Agreements (1977-1978), peace between
Egypt and Israel. Other Arab countries still hostile, but no wars since.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a holy city for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
It has been fought over for thousands of years.
• In the 1967 “Six Day War”, Israel captured the entire
city, and made it the capital of Israel. Part had
previously been controlled by Jordan. The
Palestinians see it as part of the West Bank, and thus
belonging to them.
• The “Western Wall”, part of the ruins of the main
temple of Judaism, is considered the holiest site by
Jews. The “Dome of the Rock” is a mosque where
Muslims believe Muhammad ascended into heaven.
Both sites are on the same hill, with constant
tensions between Jews and Muslims.
Israel vs. Palestine
•
In the 1948 war, many Arabs left their homes, living
in refugee camps in the West Bank and Gaza. After
1967 War, Israel expanded into this captured land,
and occupied it to protect itself.
•
Most Palestinians live in West Bank and Gaza, area
which are crowded and poor, and blame Israel for
their hard lives. Formed the “Palestine Liberation
Organization”(PLO) to fight Israel.
•
Three main groups against Israel:
– Fatah – Once part of PLO, controls the West Bank, backed by
Arab countries.
– Hamas – Controls Gaza, backed by Iran.
– Hezbollah – Group in Lebanon against Israel.
•
Peace negotiations have gone on since 1990, but
several uprisings, called “Intifadah” have occurred.
CONFLICT: Iran, Iraq,
and the Persian Gulf
USA in the Persian Gulf
Why are we there?
• To protect the flow of oil to the world, mostly.
We need it, and that is where it comes from.
What have we done there?
• The USA has supported dictators, overthrown
governments, sold weapons to both sides in a
war, and fought wars.
What resulted from this?
• USA is mistrusted in the region, involved in a long
war, and faces terrorism at home.
What it worth it?
• Maybe. Gotta have the oil, after all.
Iraq and Iran – NOT THE SAME
IRAQ
IRAN
ETHNIC GROUP
ARABS
PERSIANS
LANGUAGE
ARABIC
FARSI
ISLAMIC SECT
20% SUNNI, 80% SHI’A
90% SHI’A
GOVERNMENT
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
ISLAMIC THEOCRACY
BAGHDAD
TEHERAN
WEST
EAST
FRIENDLY
OPPOSED
CAPITAL
LOCATION
RELATION TO USA
What are the Gulf Wars?
Conflicts between the USA, Iraq, and Iran to control
the Persian Gulf. Alliances shift – today’s ally is
tomorrow’s enemy!
1. IRAN-IRAQ WAR (1980-1988): Iran vs. Iraq; Chemical
weapons used by both sides, possibly a million people
died. US supported Iraq and Saddam Hussein, but covertly
sold weapons to Iran.
2. GULF WAR (1991): US vs. Iraq; Saddam Hussein invaded
Kuwait to take the oilfields. USA and coalition fought to
protect Saudi and Kuwaiti oilfields. War stopped by UN
with Saddam Hussein still in power (Big Mistake?)
3. IRAQ WAR (2003-2011): US vs. Iraq; USA and allies
invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein. Sectarian
fighting between Shia vs. Sunni vs. Kurds. US withdrew in
2011.
Kurds and Kurdistan
• The Kurds are a people who live in
the Middle East, about 30,000,000 in
all. They have their own language
and culture, and a separate identity
as Kurdish people.
• They have no country of their own,
instead living scattered across a
dozen other countries, including
Turkey, Iraq, and Iran.
• They are in conflict with several
governments, as some wish to
create a separate Kurdish country,
called Kurdistan.
• Kurds often point to the Jews and
the creation of Israel as an example.
Why is there conflict with Iran?
• 1950’s-1970’s, USA supported the “Shah”
(Emperor) of Iran because he was antiCommunist. He was a harsh ruler.
• In 1979 an Islamic Revolution happened, led
by Ayatollah Khomeini, opposed to the USA.
They took 50+ American hostages, held them
for almost a year and a half.
• Iran has opposed the USA on Israel, Iraq, and
nuclear weapons. The Iranian government
calls the USA the “Great Satan”.
• Iran was once Persia, a great empire, and it
wishes to resume importance on the world
stage.
• They are currently threatening to close the
Strait of Hormuz/Persian Gulf, due to
international sanctions against them.
• What is Terrorism?
Terrorism
- Terrorism: the political use of __Violence_____ and/or intimidation
- Terrorism is designed to make a point, through psychological means, fear.
- Terrorism is a __criminal___ act usually aimed at civilians or non-military targets.
What does the phrase “one man’s terrorist” is another man’s freedom fighter” mean?
• Who and where are terror groups?
- Members of small groups, or even people working alone.
- Often supported by countries like _____________, _______________, and
North Korea.
- Have an ideology that calls for violence… political or religious.
- Found everywhere, not just the Middle East.
• Most (in)famous group is “___Al-Qaeda_______________”, the group responsible for
the 9/11 attacks.
• Led by __Osama bin Laden_________________.
• Al-Qaeda was based in Afghanistan, protected by the __Taliban____The Taliban is a
Sunni Islamic fundamentalist group) ( who ruled there.
Gotcha!!!
•
Shortly after eleven o’clock on the night of May 1st, (2011) two MH-60 Black Hawk
helicopters carrying Navy SEAL Team Six, a Pakistani-American translator, and a dog named
Cairo—a Belgian Malinois— lifted off from Jalalabad Air Field, in eastern Afghanistan, and
embarked on a covert mission into Pakistan to either detain or kill Osama bin Laden.
•
The SEALs’ destination was a house in the small city of Abbottabad, which is about a
hundred and twenty miles across the Pakistan border.
Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/08/110808fa_fact_schmidle#ixzz2K9h781Dc
The Arab Spring
The “Arab Spring” Revolts
The Arab Spring is a wave of demonstrations and
protests occurring in the Arab world starting in late 2010.
• Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt
• Civil war in Libya resulted in fall of its government
• Civil uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, and Yemen, resulting
in resignation of Yemeni prime minister
• Major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait,
Morocco, and Oman
• Minor protests in Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia,
Sudan, and Western Sahara.
• Clashes between Israel and Palestine along border
posts also inspired by Arab Spring.
Arab Spring Revolts
The protests have shared techniques of civil
resistance, as well as the use of social media
(Facebook and Twitter) to organize and coordinate.
Many demonstrations have met violent responses
from authorities, as well as from pro-government
militias and counter-demonstrators.
Improvised riot helmets in Tahrir Square (Egypt)!!!
Results of the Arab Spring
As of January, 2013, the following changes have resulted from the Arab Spring:
Crisis in Syria
•
•
Syria is a small country located between Iraq
and Turkey, with a powerful military.
Before the Arab Spring, Syria was ruled by the
Assad family as a dictatorship.
•
Protests broke out against Assad’s regime in
March 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring
revolts across the region, he has used force to
seek to crush the unrest, killing more than
40,000 people.
•
By 2012, a full civil war was on between the
Assad government and rebel factions,
including some Islamists and some supported
by Iran… not friends of ours.
•
The USA supports the rebels in theory, but
many of them consider us enemies.
Russia and China support the Assad regime.
We want to stay out of this one.
To make matters more complicated, the
Syrian military has a lot of chemical weapons,
very dangerous.
•
•
Crisis in Mali and North Africa
•
In 2012, there was a rebellion in the northern
part of Mali, an African nation. The rebels were
Tuaregs, an ethnic group that wanted its own
country.
•
By the summer of 2012, the rebels had been
taken over by Islamists called “Ansar al-Dine”,
friends of Al Qaeda.
•
Northern Mali is now a new safe-haven for Al
Qaeda. They acquired large numbers of weapons
and equipment from Libya, which collapsed last
year.
•
The French military has gone to fight the
Islamists, because the French have interests in
Mali. Other African and NATO countries are
slowly getting involved as well.
Historical Thinking - Editorial Cartoons
The following screens are a series of political cartoons about
sectarian violence between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq,
especially around 2005-2006, during the Bush Administration.
After ten years of US occupation the problems still exist, though
they rarely make the news anymore.
Together we are going to interpret and discuss these cartoons.
We will see each cartoon twice, once without the caption, and
once with it. Use your worksheet to record your answers.
Political Cartoons: Pictures with a Point
• A political cartoon makes a point about a political issue or
event.
• You can find them in any daily newspaper, but they won’t be
in the comics section.
• Cartoonists have several ways to get their point across. These
include symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and
irony.
Techniques in a Political Cartoon?
1.
Symbolism - Cartoonists use simple objects, or symbols, to stand for
larger concepts or ideas.
2.
Exaggeration - Sometimes cartoonists overdo, or exaggerate, the
appearance of people or things in order to make a point.
3.
Labeling - Cartoonists often label objects or people to make it clear
exactly what they stand for.
4.
Analogy - An analogy is a comparison between two different things
that have some things in common.
5.
Irony - Irony is the difference between the ways things are and the way
things should be, or the way things are expected to be.
Questions You Should Ask
1. What issue is this political cartoon about?
2. What are some of the techniques the cartoonist is
using?
3. What is the cartoonist’s opinion on this issue?
4. Did you find this cartoon persuasive? Why or why
not?
Cartoon #1 and Questions
1. What do you see in this cartoon?
2. Who is the cartoon depicting?
3. What visual clues does the artist give you to draw
these conclusions?
BONUS: Can you guess what the characters are saying?
4. What stereotypes does the author use about Muslims?
5. What is the author’s opinion about the war in Iraq?
6. In your opinion, does the author get his/her
point across effectively?
Cartoon #2 and Questions
1. What is this cartoon depicting?
2. What visual clues does the author give you to
determine who the characters are in the cartoon?
3. What is the author saying about Sunnis and Shiites?
4. Is there a double meaning to the phrase, “the writing on
wall.”
5. Using this cartoon as evidence, can you predict what
might happen in Iraq?
6. Who do you think the intended audience of this
cartoon is? Why?
Cartoon #3 and Questions
1. Describe the scene depicted in this cartoon.
2. In this cartoon, who are the “bad guys”?
3. Use this cartoon to predict what would happen if the
U.S. troops completely and immediately pulled out of Iraq?
4. What do you think the author of this cartoon would say
if you asked him/her, “Do you think Iraq is in a civil
war?” What evidence of this can you find in the cartoon?
Conclusion
Why is it important for us to understand the
differences and complexities between Sunnis
and Shiites?