Peace in the Middle East
There will never be peace in the Middle East. The idea of peace in a certain region is a silly notion. What region has truly ever known peace? Allow me to rephrase my thesis: There will never be peace in the Middle East as long as western powers intervene into Arab affairs. It is common knowledge that throughout history western powers have colonized, occupied, and exploited indigenous people in the name of national interest, national security, and manifest destiny. The Middle East is not exempt. It started with British intervention into Egyptian affairs, controlling the Suez Canal in the name of national interest, then the deposing of an elected government in Iran to stop the western-controlled oil companies from being nationalized, to the support of Israel and the presence of western troops in the land of the two holy places. The region is not destabilized because of radical Islam; it is destabilized because of western intervention, a denial by the western powers of Arab self-determination and sovereignty, and a profound misunderstanding of Arab culture. Blowback, or the unintended consequences of foreign intervention, is a relatively unknown concept yet, it applies directly to this topic.
Colonialism refers to the time period between the 15th and 20th centuries where more powerful host nations would occupy and control lesser nations in order to bring profit and power to the host nation. The justification was that they were bringing civilization and often, religion to the local populace, but in reality, they mostly brought subjugation, persecution, death and displacement. Regions in the Middle East were occupied and controlled in much the same way as the original 13 colonies of the United States o...
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...Tortured Confessions, (University of California), 1999, pp. 88, 105
"U.S. Comes Clean About The Coup In Iran", CNN, 04-19-2000.
Macintyre, Donald (26 May 2005), "The birth of modern Israel: A scrap of paper that changed history", The Independent (London), http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/the-birth-of-modern-israel-a-scrap-of-paper-that-changed-history-492084.html, retrieved 7 January 2009
^ General Progress Report and Supplementary Report of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, Covering the Period from December 11, 1949 to October 23, 1950. The United Nations Conciliation Commission. 23 October 1950. http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/9a798adbf322aff38525617b006d88d7/93037e3b939746de8525610200567883. Retrieved 13 July 2007. (U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Fifth Session, Supplement No. 18, Document A/1367/Rev. 1)
Colonialism as defined by OED (2013 p.217) refers to “the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically.” Therefore, post-colonialism is sometimes assumed to refer to “after colonialism” or “after-independence” (Ashcroft et al. 12) describing the wide range of social, cultural and political events arising specifically from the decline and fall of European colonialism that took place after World War II (McEwan 2009, p.18)
In the novel War and Peace In the Middle East, author Avi Shlaim argues that Arab nations have been unable to escape the post-Ottoman syndrome. In particular he describes how the various powers inside and outside the region have failed to produce peace. While some of Shlaim's arguments hinder the message, I agree with his overall thesis that the Middle East problems were caused and prolonged by the failure of both powers and superpowers to take into account the regional interests of the local states.
Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. Prior to this, Michael. Zionism and the State of Israel: A Moral Inquiry. New York: The New York Times.
Imperialism is when a mother nation takes over another nation and become its colony for political, social, and economical reasons. Imperialism is a progressive force for both the oppressors (mother country) and the oppressed (colony), majorly occurring during the late 19th and early 20th century. It had more negative effects than positive effects due to its domination to other nations.
“There is no such thing as a Palestinian.” Stated former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir after three fourths of one million Palestinians had been made refugees, over five hundred towns and cities had been obliterated, and a new regional map was drawn. Every vestige of the Palestinian culture was to be erased. Resolution 181, adopted in 1947 by the United Nations declared the end of British rule over Palestine (the region between the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River) and it divided the area into two parts; a state for the Jewish and one for the Arab people, Palestine. While Israel was given statehood, Palestine was not. Since 1947, one of the most controversial issues in the Middle East, and of course the world, is the question of a Palestinian state. Because of what seems a simple question, there have been regional wars among Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, terrorist attacks that happen, sometimes daily, displacement of families from their homes, and growing numbers of people living in poverty. Granting Palestinian statehood would significantly reduce, or alleviate, tensions in the Middle East by defining, once and for all, the area that should be Palestine and eliminating the bloodshed and battles that has been going on for many years over this land.
Around the 1700s regions in Europe were using the method of imperialism to not only expand but to economically benefit as well. Thus, imperialism was not only a form of government but also a form of economy. Furthermore, it is when regions extend their power and wealth through their military force and diplomacy. Specifically speaking, the Spaniards and British were two different groups of Europeans who colonized different regions around the world. As a result of doing so, the Spaniards who conquered Latin America and the British who conquered Southeast Asia causes depopulation along with cultural changes within the land they colonized.
Obrien, David and Leon J. Wood. A Survey of Israel’s History. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
The Middle East has always been known as a place of conflict. Especially today, when there are so many terrorists that they make the news at least once a month, but this has been going on throughout its history. The reason for many of its problems comes from its diverse cultures and religions, this creates a kind of friction among them that doesn 't go away and does turn to violence. However, the Middle East has been able to keep its power because of its abundance of oil. For this, many countries must look away from its violence and make trade agreements with them. And it 's not only oil they have, every country in the Middle East has something that makes that place a necessity for other countries.
Gerner, Deborah J., and Philip A. Schrodt. "Middle Eastern Politics." Understanding the Contemporary Middle East. 3rd ed. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2008. 85 -136. Print.
Collective security is one type of coalition building strategy whether global or regional in which a group of nations agree not to attack each other and to defend each other against an attack from one of the others, if such an attack is made. The principal is that "an attack against one is an attack against all." It differs from "collective defense" which is a coalition of nations which agree to defend its own group against outside attacks. It can also be described as a system where states attempt with its use to prevent or stop wars. Examples of Collective defense are NATO and the Warsaw Pact .The United Nations (UN) is the best example at an attempt at collective security. Many nations enter into such an agreement in an effort to maintain the status quo and to secure their best interests. Collective security is achieved when states come to an agreement on the need for same. As a result an international organization is formed under the rules of international law. The collective security organization then becomes an arena for diplomacy, balance of power and exercise of soft power. The use of hard power by states, unless legitimized by the Collective Security organization, is considered illegitimate, reprehensible and needing remediation of some kind. This idea of collective security was posited by people such as Immanuel Kant and Woodrow Wilson. There are a few basic assumptions as it relates to collective security, including , In an armed conflict, member nation-states will be able to agree on which nation is the aggressor another basic assumption is that each member state has freedom of action and ability to join in proceedings against the aggressor. Also of great importance is the fact that all member nation-states are e...
United Nations. “The Plan Of Partition And End Of The British Mandate”. The Question of Palestine and the United Nations”. http://www.un.org/Depts/dpi/palestine/ch2.pdf
In other words, colonialism is a term where a country conquers and rules over another region, thereby,
Roberts, Sam. "1948: The Birth of Israel." Upfront. The New York Times, n.d. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.
Frederick Denny, the keynote speaker of the night spoke on Islam and its moral responsibility and how Muslims need to educate. He was a very intelligent man and great speaker, but he was too philosophical for the students in the audience. I was one of those misfortunate souls who could not understand where he was going. He hit on many key points that connected the current problems of Islam and ideas of liberation theology.
Colonialism was a concept of superiority of one territory over another; it was a concept that originated centuries ago. Colonialism had been put into action throughout a long line of history and did not end after World War II in 1945. Even with resistance and efforts from independent states after the war, colonialism did not disappear and continued as a dominant system. It remained and changed its form, resulted in the process of globalization, which continued to control over newly independent states following World War II. Globalization, a form of colonialism, maintained power for the system over states or regions through economic terms with the development of the World Bank, and its derivation of structural adjustments. This financial institution was formed and contributed to colonialism; it assisted in the economic affairs of colonized nation(s). Along with class, professor Manfred B. Steger's book, Globalization: A Very Short Introduction, and I.B. Logan and Kidane Mengisteab's article, "IMF – World Bank Adjustment and Structural Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa," discussed the indirect rule of colonial powers through globalization.