World History

Unit 7: The World Since 1945

Chapter 30: Africa and the Middle East Since 1945

63. Thu, May 1, 2014

Unlike sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East (including places like Egypt and Libya) remains under constant news scrutiny, and it is a place afflicted with historic animosities that can probably be traced back as far as anyone cares to look. We’ve already seen the complexity of the political maneuvers that led to the current situations: some of them can be located in the decolonialization of the period following World War I. Jerusalem, an international city under special treaty and governance, is constantly on alert. Peace negotiations go forward slowly and leap backward very rapidly. Some measure of conciliation was brought about under the direction of the United States, thanks to Henry Kissenger (Secretary of State under two presidents — Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford) and Pres. Jimmy Carter. But they remain brittle accords, and it seems difficult to maintain a balance. Israel is unwilling to compromise its integrity as a state, and the Palestinian people resent the fact that a state was built, largely by international assent but without consulting them, in what they regarded as their own territory.

Complicating everything is the question of foreign policy, of course. The Soviet Union engaged in a long and brutal war in Afganistan, and were eventually induced to leave in what looked to most of the world like defeat. The United States has troops there now. On what basis can such things be justified?

• What are the legitimate claims of both sides in the Arab-Israeli conflict? Are there ways to separate those strands and reach an amicable solution?
• What is the proper role of other nations in dealing with these conflicts? It is obvious that they have ramifications reaching far beyond the Middle East — how much can we justify on the basis of our “interests” in the region?

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