Middle East Conflict Reference Library

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Middle East Conflict Reference Library (Almanac)

By Ralph G. Zerbonia, Tom and Sara Pendergast

Publisher: Thompson Gale 2006 975 Pages

ISBN: 0787694568

PDF 65 MB

From the middle of the twentieth century up to the present, no region in the world has been so torn by conflict as the Middle East. From Saudi Arabia in the south to Turkey in the north, and from Egypt in the west to Iran in the east, every nation in the region has been involved in some form of political, social, or military turmoil. What is most striking about the many conflicts that have occurred in the Middle East is their complexity. In almost every case, differences over religion, cultural identity, and political philosophy combine with personal, family, and ethnic biases to fan the flames of conflict. Untangling these numerous and overlapping motivations presents a challenge to even the most experienced scholars and diplomats.

To understand the conflicts that have shaped the Middle East in the twentieth century and beyond, one must keep in mind a variety of important forces that have shaped the region. The oldest and most enduring force is that of religion: the Middle East is home to three of the world’s great monotheistic (belief in one god) religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Each of these religions places great importance on the Middle East, and on religious shrines and temples that continue to exist in the region, especially in the fiercely contested city of Jerusalem. Religious differences, both those between the religions and among followers of the Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam, continue to play a hugely important role in the Middle East.