Middle East

• Some countries


  Aligned with different superpowers
• Israel


  Established in 1948, UK and USA supported this, and remains allied to them
• Iraq


  Links to Soviet union, but generally allied to USA and its allies, however, after the first Gulf War and the Iraq war, the USA and allies aim to end the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, overthrow Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, and bring stability to the region
• Syrian government


  Aligned with Russia since 1980 and China and Iran
• USA, Japan, Korea and Switzerland


  Imposed sanctions on Iran for continued development of nuclear weapons
• Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE


  Allies with the UCAS and UK as economic ties through trading oil
• Complex reasons for tension in the Middle East: The Arab spring


  Young people, looking for change have led two uprisings in Middle East and North Africa often about economic decline, corruption within government and desire for stronger Democratic rights

  Between 2011 and 2012 leaders struggled to create order an appease protesters, resulting in armed responses to protest, and I return to autocratic leadership, increasing number of dissatisfied people
• Complex reasons for tension in the Middle East: systems of governance


  Newly established systems are not yet providing stable forms of democracy

  The constitution of modern Iraq established in 2005, following the first three election in the country’s history

  However, conflict continued as separatist groups tried to highlight witnesses in the Iraqi governments, early strategies and undermine the new authority
• Division of territory


  Complex reason for tension in the Middle East
• Conflicting cultural ideologies


  Create tensions within the Middle East that can turn into conflict when they feel their heritage or belief system is under threat
• Islamic state


  e.g. Isis terrorist group or an extreme group whose actions are rooted in their extreme interpretation of Sunni Islam
• Actions of Islamic state

  1. Occupied territory

  2. Committed terrorist attacks

  3. Attempt to set up a caliphate
• Growth of Islamic state


  Partly due to an imbalance of power after the Iraqi war, where the majority Sunni government replaced by one predominantly of the Shia