Today, we think of the Middle East as a very turbulent and volatile region. The existence of religious and ethnic minorities in the land have made it a historically violent part of the world. Before World War I, the Middle East was mostly under the control of the Ottoman Empire. This managed to unify the region and despite infrequent turbulence, it was nothing like the troubling cauldron that is is today. However, after the end of World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the ideologies and interests of numerous parties led to definitive conflict that would set the stage of Middle Eastern history for the next one hundred years.
In the aftermath of World War I, many people groups and nations had ideas about how the Middle East should be reorganized after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The Jewish Zionists wanted a national homeland in Palestine, the Arabs wanted independence, and the European powers wanted to see the Middle East carved up between themselves, as Africa had been. At the center of the debate about the reorganization of the Middle Eadt was Great Britain. The British had attempted to juggle all the demands and desires of their allies while maintaining their own special interests in the region.
In 1917, the British statesman, Lord Balfour, had written a document which became known as the Balfour Declaration. In his declaration, Balfour expressed the desire and intent of the British government to establish a homeland in Palestine for Jewish Zionists. However, the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine was not the only commitment the British government had made. During the Arab Revolt of 1916, they had promised independence to Arabs in places like Iraq. The secret Sykes-Picot treaty between Britain and France established both powers’ intent to divide them fomer Ottoman Empire between themselves.
In the end, the Sykes-Picot agreement won the conflict of diverse interests. Syria and Lebanon were awarded to France in the form of a mandate. The British took Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq. Saudi Arabia was awarded independence. Of course, the interests of the Zionists and Arab nationalists would see the light of day after some time. Israel was established as a Jewish Zionist homeland in 1948. Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan would also receive independence. However, the broken British promises would nurture a strong distrust of western powers, including the United States.
As we watch the Middle East spiral into a chaotic inferno we cannot afford to forget that the current state of affairs was by no means inevitable. Missteps and mistakes along the way, mostly committed by western nations like Great Britain and the United States, have made what the Middle East what it is. Broken promises, secret dealings and imperial interests have erased much of the potential in the Middle East and left turbulence in its place.