Unit 19       

Recent World Conflicts

Case Study: The Middle EastThe Israel/Palestine Issue Zionism: a movement (mid 1800’s) by

Jewsworldwide – to get back their “homeland”Balfour Declaration: The BalfourDeclaration was an official statementissued on behalf of the British governmentin 1917, announcing its support in

principleof a proposed home for the Jewish peoplein PalestineU.N. Partition: 1947 United Nationswanted to split up PalestineJews got half and Palestinians got half1948 – Jews declared their half to be anindependent nation (Israel)Wars:Arab neighbors declared war right awayThere have been 4 warsIsrael has never lostThe Jews: Also know as Israelis and HebrewsJews claim their land was promised tothem by God as their “homeland”They will do whatever they need to – to defend themselves

The Palestinians:-Also known as the Arabs and MuslimsPalestinians claim the land because theylived there for 2000 years-Often use terrorism to get Israel to leaveThe PLO: Palestinian LiberationOrganization – a terrorist groupYasser Arafat: An early leader of the PLO

Now → leader of the Palestinians is

Ahmed Qurei (Prime Minister 2003)Terrorism:Often used by the PLO to get attention

Often used to disrupt peace attemptsCamp David Accords: 1978 peace treatybetween Israel and EgyptEgypt became the first Arab nation to fullyrecognize Israel’s right to existRecent news:On /off - peace talks- Radicals on bothsides often ruin peace attemptsPalestinians now want an independent

nationIsraeli’s now want security in the region 

B. The Iranian RevolutionCause of the Revolution: (1950’s)Mohammed Pahlavi was put in

charge ofIran by the United StatesHe called himself the “Shah of Iran”He ran the country like a dictatorMany Iranians did not like him or the

United StatesMain Event: (1979)Led by a religious leader named

Ayatollah Khomeini, Islamic fundamentalists took over Iran

Revolutionaries attacked the United States Embassy and held Americans hostage for over a year

Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism:Khomeini called for more Islamic

fundamentalists to take over other “secular” governments

  

C. Islamic FundamentalismFoundations: Islamic

Fundamentalism – a movement of some Muslims to focus on a more strict interpretation of Islamic law and customs

They usually oppose “western” cultureIran – Iraq War: (1980’s)Fight over a border dispute near thePersian GulfHurt both sidesNothing was really settled by the warTerrorism: Islamic fundamentalist

groups often use terrorism against western nations that interfere with their culture

Islamic Jihad/Hezbollah/Al Qaeda:Terrorist organizations that support

Islamic fundamentalist ideas 

D. The Persian Gulf WarCauses: (1990)Iraq invaded Kuwait…To get Kuwait’s oilTo get access to Kuwait’s deep water port on the Persian GulfThe War: (1991) – a “United Nations” coalition force led by the United States attackedIraq and quickly wonResults:Short Term Results:Iraq got out of KuwaitA lot of environmental damage was doneLong term Results:Saddam Hussein was left in powerAnother war against Iraq was needed in 2003E. U.S. – Iraq WarCauses:The United States attempted to find and eliminate “weapons of mass destruction”

(nuclear,biological and chemical)To replace Saddam Hussein’s governmentWar: - short war - long stay to protect Iraqis and establish a safe government - Saddam Hussein capturedResults:Saddam’s government was eliminatedRebuilding will take awhile to complete 

Essential Questions What are the differences and similarities between “political” and

“ethnic” hotspots?Differences:Political: government issues (independence, border disputes)Ethnic: “social: issues (race, religion, etc.)Similarities:Violent activities → usually terrorism

What role have outsiders such as the United States, the United Nations, and

Egypt played in attempting to help solve the Israel/Palestine conflict in the

Middle East?United States: often directs peace talksUnited Nations: often sends peace keeping troopsEgypt: first Arab nation to recognize Israel as a nation

What other roles has the United States and the United Nations played inattempting to settle other conflicts in the Middle East?United States: led United Nation forces to free Kuwait from Iraqi controlUnited Nations: sent in troops to keep peace in Lebanon in the 1980’s

Why have the conflicts in the Middle East been so difficult to resolve?The issues have been around for so longOften it’s religious issues → highly emotionalThere seems to be some radical groups who don’t want peace