While most Middle Eastern countries shook off European control in the postwar years, foreign influence in the region remained strong. With its valuable “waterways” and “oil reserves”, the Middle East became the scene of superpower maneuvering for influence during the cold war.

As independent Arab States emerged, Pan-Arabism, a movement aimed at building closer, especially among the educated urban middle class. In 1945, leaders of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen formed the Arab League. Its mission was to unify the Arab world.

Palestine remained the only significant middle eastern country to remain colonized. Due to this the Arabs who live here wanted to become a free state which they had been promised by the British. Zionist Jews wanted to build a Jewish state on the same land however. This caused conflict, and the Arabs retaliated by attacking the Jews. Later the United Nations voted to partition Palestine and to place Jerusalem under UN administration.

Within 24 hours, neighboring armies attacked the new Jewish state. With foreign aid and effectiveness the Israelis defeated the Arab forces in nine months. With this they extended there territory. Jerusalem was divided, the eastern part of the city in Arab hands. Due to the war, many Palestinians became homeless and moved to refugee camps.

The war also cause other significant consequences for the Arab world. In Egypt army officers seized control of the government, and proclaim the country a republic. Later on, Colonel Gamel Abdel Nasser, a leader of the coup, took control as president. Nasser launched new policies where he negotiated the British withdrawal from the Suez Canal. Then he modernized the country like it was never done before.

After being violated by the United States, Nasser retaliated by “nationalizing” the Suez Canal. Great Britain and France defended the U.S. by invading Egypt along with Israel. The Russians defended the Egyptians and started a rocket attack on European cities. United Nations later quieted the fighting by withdrawing troops in Egypt. Nasser then accepted the Soviet offer to build the Aswan Dam.

At the end of World War II, Turkey received American aid to modernize its economy and to ward off Soviet advances. However government corruption, inflation, and huge international debt discredited Turkey’s ruling politicians and finally increased military rule.

Mohammad Mossadeg, became prime minister of Iran, and later nationalized the British-owned oil industry and declared that all oil money would be used for social and economic reforms. Great Britian then called for a boycott of Iranian oil, and the Iranians suffered greatly. Later the shah increased his ties to the U.S. and signed the ‘ Baghdad “Pact” ‘

In the struggle for nationhood, the Palestinians in 1964 formed the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to eliminate Israel and to create a Palestinian state. Later, however, many Palestinians and Israelis came to accept a two-state solution: a state for Israelis and a state for Palestinians.

In a Six Day War, Israeli forces tripled Israel’s land holdings, seizing the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, and the Golan Heights from Syria. When Jordan entered the war, Israeli troops also took East Jerusalem.

In 1977, Egypt’s President Sadat acted independently to break the deadlock. And a year later Sadat accepted an invitation from United States President Jimmy Carter to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. The 12 days of meetings at Camp David in Maryland resulted in the Camp David Accords, the basis for an Arab-Israeli peace treaty.

Ever since Egypt and Israel agreed to peace in 1979, major steps have been taken to ending the state of war in the Arab world. In 1993, the Israelis and the Palestinians came to agreement, and later Jordan and Israel ended conflict.

The Golan Heights, which has been in Israelis hands since 1967, is a major area of dispute. Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Syrian President Hadez al Assad committed themselves to settling this issue. Lebanon’s civil war ended but Israeli and Syrian troops remain. Netanyahu government believes an Israeli military presence in Lebanon is vital for Israel’s security. But in Lebanon, Israeli forces are opposed by Shiite Muslim guerrillas. Finally they asked Syria to restrain the guerrillas.

One of the most scarce resources in the region is water. And even though its a lot of it around, the middle east distributes the water unequally between opposing countries. However to account for this problem the water that is left is stored in reservoirs in front of dams. Also countries have looked for other solutions such as desalination plants along the red sea.

With the discovery of oil, desert cities now bloomed and new industrial areas are created, with urban shopping malls, high rises, and freeways. New wealth was lead to better health care and education. And women finally have a chance to work in cooperate society.

Challenges have now occurred due to urbanization. Crime rate has risen dramatically, and there is a increasing gap from the rich and the poor. Also the social values of the family have change dramatically.

In recent years many Middle Easterners have solutions to their problems in “fundamentalism.” The Middle East has learned to accept growth as it comes, but rarely strays away from religion like its seen in the last few years.