Will there be peace in the Middle East?Control over the Middle East became a focal point in the superpowers’ policy after oil was discovered in the region. The Middle East is gradually going back to the times of the First World War, when most of its territory made part of the Ottoman Turkey and numerous Arab tribes fought against one another. Europe, particularly Great Britain deemed this intertribal strife as national liberation struggle for independence. February 17, 2013 PanARMENIAN.Net - Considering the fact that Ottoman Porte was an ally of Germany and Austria-Hungary, Britain’s involvement was more than apparent. Control over the Middle East became a focal point in the superpowers’ policy after oil was discovered in the region. The Arab tribes used gold and weapon as tools in convincing of the necessity of having independent statehood, which in turn, brought about the emergence of Iraq and Gulf monarchies on the world map. Acknowledging that oil may shift the balance of power, the U.S. and the Soviet Union unleashed a war. In 1916, a confidential agreement was reached between France and Great Britain on distribution of spheres of influence in the Middle East, with Britain getting a territory in present-day Jordan, Iraq and Palestine, and France getting south-eastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Supporting the Arab revolt in the Ottoman Turkey, Britain assured the Arabs that it will foster the establishment of independent Arab states. Along with these pledges, one of the most controversial documents of modern history, Balfour Declaration, was inked in 1917, envisaging British support in establishment of “national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine. Things were relatively calm in the Middle East until 2011. “The Arab Spring” yielded no success; some of the countries, including Libya, Iraq and Egypt to some extent are on the verge of collapse, with a severe war ongoingbetween Sunnis and Shiites in other counties, and no end in sight for the Syrian conflict. George W. Bush administration may be blamed for releasing the Islamic genie out of the bottle with his “promotion of democracy in Kuwait. The Arab tribes ran out of control after Obama election, with the outcomes currently apparent. Democracy fits in Western policy-making; it’s impossible in the East due to the differences in mentality, traditions and, finally, religion. The West seems to have yielded no lessons from the Soviet war in Afghanistan. The USSR armed the Mujahideen for the sake of war for independence. The same may await the Arab world. Such an end to the Arab Spring is not rued out. It’s also unknown when it will end. Most popular in the section How collection of horned creatures turned into museum New York’s first female crime boss World’s largest boneyard An Italian photojournalist’s journey through the pandemic More articles in this section Quarantine in metropoles Drone footage reveals deserted streets Town without newborns and dead Four months without sun Nine months in the Pacific Supporting women to overcome life changing events | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |