Skip to main content

Prisoner of Geography: Middle East

The Middle East:  Familiar story--country lines drawn by Europeans don't fit the geography/religion of the region--trouble.
Empty Quarter is largest desert in world.
Sunni Muslims:  85%
Shia: shiat Ali:  Party of Ali, whom they believe was cheated out of Muhammed's legacy. Iraq as three countries:  Mosul--Kurd; Baghdad--Sunni: Basra--Shia.  Tyrant needed to hold "country" together (Saddam).
Kurds make up parts of Syria, Turkey, and Iran. Also, Kurds aren't unified.

Israel geography makes holding places like the Golan Heights crucial.  No Plan B if overrun. Palestinian state is not high on the priority list of Egypt, Syria, or Jordan--they would want part of the "new" country. Much of the West Bank is a mountain ridge--Israel does not want Jordan to control mountains (rocket fire) and so does not--understandably-- want to return West Bank. Main threat to Israel would be Syria


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tess of the D'Urbervilles, continued 2/3rds

"To all humankind, Tess was only a passing thought. Even to friends, she was only a frequently passing thought." Angel Clare is a good character. He's "enlightened," in so many ways, but when Tess's confesses her "crime," he reverts to ancestral form . . . Tess's "confession" comes earlier than I expected, right after Angel reveals that he has had a bad moment with a woman. Tess points out the similarity in their transgressions, though his is the only true transgression, expecting forgiveness. She doesn't get it. She returns to her mother . . . realizes she can't stay with her. Thoughts to suicide. Unhappiness that divorce is not possible. Departs. Tragic in that the two, if Angel could just see clearly, would indeed be a great couple, each adding to the other.  Nature as a definite force involved in the tragedy.  It's not neutral--when things go bad, the very skies mock Tess. Tess as unaware of the power of her bea...

Napoleon 14 Amiens

"Ambassadors are essentially spies with titles."  Napoleon President of Italy . . . Peace treaty with England (Amiens) in March 1802, with Turkey in June 1802 . . . flawed peace treaty with England because there was no opening up of France for trade with England, infuriating the English who thought peace would mean trade. . . tourism, though--Brits come to Paris and admire Napoleon . . . British liberals enamored . . . Napoleon "consul for life" . . . lots of unsettled territories, Switzerland being the largest . . . Industrialization much greater in England than France . . . France in 1802 is about the same as England in 1780 as a manufacturing center . . . Napoleon is basically Anglophobic, complaining of any art work that celebrates English victories being shown in Louvre . . . peace unraveling . . . by 1803 . . .  War May 18, 1803! . . . Louisiana Territory sold, advantageous to both parties.  France gets money; USA gets land.  France avoids possible war with ...