The issue of the conflicts in the Middle East region stays relevant for more than half a century. Plenty of Arab countries, Israel, Iran, Turkey as well as the United States, Russia, and other countries participate in this confrontation. The controversy between the Arab States and Israel has led to the current situation which tends to become more serious throughout the years. Although the conflict in the Middle East was ethnic or local at first, it has become an international issue because many countries all over the world have intervened in this controversy. Undoubtedly, humanity can face plenty of difficulties to solve these problems as the governments have to act in special ways to meet the requirements of all participants of the conflict due to the intervention of other countries.
The Middle East has a profound effect on the development of the political, economic and social fields of the countries throughout the world. Importantly, this area is known for the enormous amount of various natural wealth and resources which have become the reasons for the wars between different countries for many years. According to the fact that many countries are located in this territory, a huge number of conflicts related to the struggle for land rights continue to appear between them. The nations cannot agree who has the rights to hold that territory as well as whose ancestors were the true owners of the wealth of the Middle East. For example, Jewish people believed that they had to fight for the opportunity to create their country in that area since the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, Arabs continued to insist on their rights to live in Palestine and to be the only people who can own the land there (James O. C. Jonah 414). Although this controversy began in the twentieth century, the nation continues the violent struggle as they cannot decide which of them has the right to live in that area as well as are not able to live in peace avoiding the confrontations. After briefly stating these side-topics one must ask the question; why is the Middle East a conflict area? There are many reasons that have led to the modern situation in the Middle East such as the existence of several religions in a small area, the struggle between countries for natural resources, the border issues as well as the coexistence of many ethnic groups in the same territory.
Firstly, the religion issue plays an important role in the conflict in the Middle East, as human’s behavior depends on his or her belief. Three world religions exist in the Middle East, and this fact explains the appearance of plenty of conflicts in that area. Although Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share plenty of similar knowledge and ideas, they differ considerably. Thus, as the people express various religions and beliefs, they tend to live as well as to perceive the world in different ways. Moreover, Middle Eastern and Islamic minorities seem to attract more international interference than other ones. It is stated that “this is due to a larger pattern where states, especially Islamic ones, rarely intervene on behalf of ethnic minorities with which they share no religious affinities” (Jonathan Fox, Patrick James, & Yitan Li 173). The international community monitors the countries and areas where people practice not the same belief. If several religions exist in the same area, this territory tends to attract much attention as well (Fox, James, & Li 176). Undoubtedly, religious affinities have a huge impact on the development of international relations. As a result, there are plenty of various religions and ideologies in the Middle East, and this fact causes not only controversies and conflicts among people who live in that areas but also plenty of attention of international society.
Secondly, natural resources stay one of the main reasons for the conflict in the Middle East as well. According to the fact that almost one-third of the world's oil supplies are extracted in that area, a large part of this oil is exported. Undoubtedly, this process has a strong effect on the economic development of the world. Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia are the most important supplier of oil and gas to the European and American markets. However, these countries are at dispute with each other throughout the years, and the United States participate actively in this process as they support different countries depending on the participants of the war. Moreover, the issue of the water stays relevant as it is one of the essential resources in the world. According to Frederick W. Frey and Thomas Naff “If all else fails, severe water shortages might well provoke armed conflict…” (Frey Naff 77). Although the Middle East has enormous reserves of oil, it tends to suffer from the lack of water. Plenty of modern countries do not have enough water to provide people with this resource. I acknowledge that rivers are the only sources of freshwater, and the countries which are located in the Middle East tend to begin the struggle for the water as well. As a result, the governments of the Arab States and other countries have to solve these problems to avoid the appearance of the new wars and conflicts.
Thirdly, the conflict in the Middle East continues throughout the years due to the border issues as well. Sykes-Picot agreement determined the borders of the countries located in that territory in 1916 as the powers that won the First World War aimed to share their influence on the new areas. Nevertheless, all these countries became independent in the 1960s. Moreover, it is clarified that “the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 has been the source of considerable regional conflict and instability, and the protracted conflict has hampered political and economic development in the entire region” (Mirjam E. Sorli, Nils Petter Gleditsch, & Havard Strand 146). The appearance of the new country had a huge impact on international relations in general as the Middle East was a significantly important part of the world to the main players in world politics. However, the establishment of Israel was not approved by the neighboring countries as a new state not only became a contender for a new oil supplier but also occupied the territory in which other nations aimed to settle.
However, the Arab–Israeli conflict is not the only controversy that belongs to the conflict in the Middle East as plenty of other wars and confrontations occurred in that area throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. For instance, Iran-Iraq war took place in the 1980s, and the territory issue was the main reason for that conflict as well. Thus, Iraq was dissatisfied with the fact that Iran held the territory which was famous for rich reserves of oil. Likewise, the Gulf War which occurred between 1990 and 1991 was related to the land and oil reserves as well (Dennis Ross 71). In addition, not only the Arab States but also the coalition of twenty-eight countries headed by the United States participated in that war. All these wars have caused the nuclear Arm Race in the Middle East which tends to become more serious and widespread. It is stated that “countries like Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan have expressed a serious inclination toward acquiring nuclear technology” (David Oualaalou 140). Importantly, these countries seem to have serious reasons for developing and owning the nuclear weapon, as they have the real opportunities to achieve these goals. As a result, the conflicts that took place throughout the twentieth century have caused the appearance of competition between the Arab countries as well as led to the nuclear Arm Race and the risk of use of these deadly weapons. Thus, the border issue stays relevant throughout the years as the governments of the countries located in the Middle East are in a continues dispute of who’s the rightful owner of these areas.
Lastly, the coexistence of many ethnic groups in the same territory tends to cause plenty of unnecessary conflicts as all these people live in different ways. According to the fact that the Middle East is inhabited by various nations, there is a huge risk of the appearance of controversy between them. For instance, Arabs, Sunni’s, Shei’s, Kurds, Turks, Azerbaijanis, Persians, and many other smaller ethnic groups live in the same area. Importantly, all of them belong to different religions and some have different beliefs within the same religion, and this fact even tends to aggravate the situation. These ethnic groups not only differ considerably due to their lifestyles and practices but also to the world view and even confront each other due to the disagreements related to the areas and spheres of influence. Although many of these nations have fought for their independence as well as the right to live in a particular area, the governments of the stronger countries continued to crush the uprising. For example, Kurds attempted to create their state throughout the years. However, they suffered from the harassment provided by neighboring countries, and that process included both the attempts of genocide as well as the formal prohibitions on the right for their language and culture. As a result, the coexistence of such a huge number of various ethnic groups can cause many conflicts and disagreements.
In conclusion, the conflict in the Middle East is a serious problem of the modern society which has already existed for many years. This area has an important role in the development of various spheres of life throughout the world. Nevertheless, the conflicts that take place there have a negative impact on the countries situated in the Middle East as a whole. Undoubtedly, several factors make the controversy more significant. According to the fact that three world religions exist in that area, humans tend to face difficulties attempting to live together. Likewise, natural sources such as oil influence the actions of the governments as all of them aim to improve the economic conditions of the countries while the water has a big effect on these processes as well. Moreover, Although the countries in the Middle East exist for many years, the border issue stays relevant even today. In addition, the enormous variety of ethnic groups in that territory tends to elaborate the situation. In sum, the governments of all the countries have to join their forces to deal with the conflict in the Middle East and provide the people with peaceful lives.
Work Cited
Frey, Frederick W., Thomas Naff. “Water: An Emerging Issue in the Middle East?” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 482, 1985: 65–84
Fox, Jonathan, et al. “Religious Affinities and International Intervention in Ethnic Conflicts in the Middle East and Beyond.” Canadian Journal of Political Science / Revue Canadienne De Science Politique, vol. 42, no. 1, 2009: 161–186
Jonah, James O. C. “The Middle East Conflict: The Palestinian Dimension.” Global Governance, vol. 8, no. 4, 2002: 413–419
Oualaalou, David. “Political Landscape of the Middle East.” Volatile State: Iran in the Nuclear Age, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2018: 64–129
Ross, Dennis. “The Middle East Predicament.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 84, no. 1, 2005: 61–74
Sørli, Mirjam E., et al. “Why Is There so Much Conflict in the Middle East?” Conflict Resolution, vol. 49, no. 1, 2005: 141–165
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