Understanding the Volatile and Dangerous Middle East: A Comprehensive Analysis - Softcover

Carol, Steven

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1491766573 ISBN 13: 9781491766576

Verlag: iUniverse, 2015

Inhaltsangabe

The purpose of Understanding the Volatile and Dangerous Middle East is to assist the general public to obtain a deeper comprehension of this bewildering region. Middle East issues can become muddled and confusing, particularly since the mainstream news media, editorials, and popular literature on this highly-controversial subject are often plagued by inaccurate information, or even disinformation. They often commit biased omissions-leaving out important information that can help the public comprehend the true entire picture. Understanding the Volatile and Dangerous Middle East seeks to counteract these inaccuracies. It will prevent readers from making common and not so common mistakes for lack of adequate knowledge. Additionally, there are 78 maps-a built-in Middle East historical atlas-and numerous tables that enhance the text, which is thoroughly indexed. The author presents this information in a clear, comprehensive, understandable, and insightful manner. Understanding the Volatile and Dangerous Middle East is a Middle East library rolled into one volume. For anyone who seeks the truth based on facts, this definitely is one book to keep handy on your library shelf.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Steven Carol has a Ph.D. in history and is an author, public speaker, and radio personality. His specialties are the Middle East, U.S. history, U.S. government, the World Wars of the Twentieth century, and the Cold War. He has travelled to the region numerous times. He has also appeared on radio across the United States and in the Middle East.

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Understanding the Volatile and Dangerous Middle East

A comprehensive analysis

By Steven Carol

iUniverse

Copyright © 2015 Steven Carol
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4917-6657-6

Contents

List of Maps (in conjunction with the applicable text), ix, 
List of Maps (in chronological order), xi, 
List of Tables, xiii, 
List of Basic Principles, xv, 
About the Author, xxi, 
Acknowledgements, xxiii, 
Note on Calendars, xxiii, 
Foreword, xxv, 
Introduction, xxvii, 
Critical Geographic Features, 1, 
Demographics of the Region, 35, 
Traditions and the Historic Record, 65, 
Influence of Islam on the Region, 265, 
Political Processes, 355, 
Ever Shifting Alliances, 443, 
Aspects of War, 465, 
Perpetual Negotiations, 671, 
Attempts at Security, 719, 
Role of the Media, 753, 
Conclusion, 775, 
Appendix 1–The Constantinople Convention on Free Navigation of the Suez Canal of 1888, 779, 
Appendix 2–Annotated Balfour Declaration of 1917, 781, 
Appendix 3–Annotated Feisal-Weizmann Agreement of 1919, 783, 
Appendix 4–The Lebanese National Pact of 1943, 787, 
Appendix 5–Annotated United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (Second) Partition Plan of 1947, 789, 
Appendix 6–The Tripartite Declaration, May 25, 1950, 793, 
Appendix 7–Annotated Eisenhower Doctrine, March 9, 1957, 795, 
Appendix 8–Annotated Palestinian National Charter, Charter of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), and the Fatah Constitution, 797, 
Appendix 9–The PLO Phased Plan, 815, 
Appendix 10–Annotated UN "Zionism is Racism" Resolution and its Repeal, 817, 
Glossary, 821, 
Endnotes, 831, 
Bibliography, 925, 
Index, 949, 

CHAPTER 1

CRITICAL GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES

A society without knowledge of geography is like a sailor without a compass and a sextant.

Anonymous

The Middle East, isn't that somewhere near the Midwest?

Anonymous

The region known as the greater Middle East encompasses a strategic section of the world. There is daily news coverage of events in the region, yet, its geographic importance and dimensions are not well known. Even the geographic extent of the area has been debated. Additionally, geographic controversies and disputes affect many of the states in the region.

1. Throughout history, the Middle East has held a place of importance greater than that of any other region of the world.

The Middle East is the cradle of Western civilization. Some of the earliest recorded societies began and grew in the Nile River Valley and in the Tigris–Euphrates River Valley. Many ancient civilizations, including the Akkadians, Sumerians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, Babylonians, and Egyptians had their origins there, and the region is the birthplace of three monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. However, as noted Catholic theologian, George P. Weigel, accurately reflected, "To speak of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as the 'three Abrahamic faiths,' the 'three religions of the Book,' or the three monotheisms, obscures rather than illuminates. These familiar tropes ought to be retired."

The Middle East has the immense geographic importance of being the land bridge between three continents — Europe, Asia and Africa. Throughout history, invasion routes have passed through this region. It also contains water routes of enormous geographic, economic, historic, and political importance. Of economic consequence are the vast reserves of petroleum located in the region (see "Major Oilfields of the Persian Gulf" map). The Middle East became a major source of oil beginning with commercial production by Iran (1908). This was followed by Iraq (1930), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait (1938), Bahrain (1940), Algeria (1956), Abu Dhabi (1962), Libya (1962), Oman (1967), Dubai (1969), Sharjah (1972), and Sudan (1999).

2. Many strategic and vital waterways are concentrated in the Middle East.

The Nile River, the Tigris River and Euphrates River, as well as the Shatt al-Arab, the confluence of the Tigris and the Euphrates that flows into the Persian Gulf, are all in the region. Five of the most important straits in the world are situated in the Middle East including the Dardanelles, Bosporus, Tiran, Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz. Also located in the area is one of the great maritime highways, the Suez Canal. For a better understanding of the importance of these waterways, a closer examination is needed.

The Turkish Straits

The Turkish Straits refer to two narrow straits that link the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean beyond. The Bosporus measures 16 miles long, 1 mile wide, and in some places less than 700 yards wide. The Sea of Marmara is 130 miles long and 40 miles wide. Within that sea, Turkey maintains the prison island of Imrali. The Dardanelles (the Hellespont of antiquity) is 25 miles long, 4.5 miles wide in the south and 2.5 miles wide in the north. The Persians invaded ancient Greece by crossing the Straits. During World War I, the famous Gallipoli campaign occurred on its shores in 1915 (see the Turkish Straits map). The treaty that governs the use of the Straits is:

The Montreux Convention

July 20, 1936

• The treaty restored Turkish sovereignty over the Straits, the Bosporus and Dardanelles, allowing Turkey to remilitarize the zone along the Straits.

• It provided for the free navigation of the Straits by all nations' commercial vessels in peacetime.

• It permitted Turkey to close the Straits to all enemy ships in wartime.

• The pact specified that Turkey be notified eight days in advance (or fifteen days for ships of non-Black Sea nations) of any ship passing through the Straits.

• It required that ships pass through the Straits singly, unsubmerged, and only in the daytime.

• Warships from non-Black Sea nations can only stay in the basin for up to 21 days consecutively.

The Suez Canal

The Suez Canal, a sea-level canal, is one of the world's great man-made waterways. It connects the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea measuring 101 miles in length. Its northern outlet is at the city of Port Sa'id. Its southern exit is at the city of Suez. Use of the canal shortens shipping times as reflected in the chart below.

The most pivotal event in the history of the Suez Canal occurred when Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Compagnie Universelle du Canal de Suez (Suez Canal Company) on July 26, 1956. It is important to explain who Nasser was, what his goals were, and how that impacted the Suez Canal and the entire Middle East.

* * *

On July 23, 1952, the Free Officers Movement within the Egyptian army staged a bloodless coup that toppled the Egyptian monarchy of King Farouk. The leaders of the coup were Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. A year later on June 18, 1953, the monarchy was officially abolished and a republic proclaimed. By April 17, 1954, Naguib had been pushed aside and Nasser became Premier of Egypt. His goals were outlined in his book Philosophy of the Revolution. He wanted to promote Arab socialism, i.e. public ownership of industry, and Pan-Arabism, the concept of unifying the Arab world, from the Atlantic to the Arabian Sea, into one nation-state with himself at its head.

Nasser detested the "temporary" British occupation of Egypt that lasted...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: iUniverse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2015
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1491766573
• ISBN 13: 9781491766576
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 998
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland