1. The Middle East in the World Today
Chapter 28
The Middle East in the World Today

2. Section 1: Regional and Global Issues
The Middle East and the Cold War
Since WWII, nations in the developed and developing worlds have become increasingly dependent on oil from the Middle East
The US and the Soviet Union recognized the strategic importance of the Middle East
This region controlled the oil needed for industry, but also vital waterways such as the Suez Canal and the Persian Gulf
During the Cold War, both powers competed for power and influence in the Middle East

3. Turkey
During the Cold War, the Soviet Union backed the communist rebels in Turkey
The US helped Turkey resist Soviet pressure
Turkey joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Ever since, NATO air bases in Turkey have given the US an important strategic base in the Middle East

4. After the Cold War
After the Cold War, the US, Russia and other nations became concerned with weapons of mass destruction in the ME
Iran, Iraq and Israel each worked to develop nuclear weapons
The spread of nuclear weapons was tied to the rise of extremism
Extremists were willing to use terrorism to achieve their goals

5. Extremists Had many causes 1-lack of democracy
2-many dissenters turned to violence as a way of expressing opposition to oppressive governments
3-poverty and social inequality
4-anger over the westernization of Islamic societies
Hated the western ideas of justice and law in Islamic countries
Opposed granting new rights to women
Outraged by the influence of western fashions and western media

6. OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
1960-Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Venezuela (later expanded to 11 countries)
Goal of OPEC was to end the power of western oil companies over oil prices
Middle Eastern oil producing nations used oil as a weapon
During the Arab-Israeli war in 1973, OPEC stopped ME oil shipments to countries that supported Israel, including the US
Set off global oil crisis as prices rose and supplies dropped

7. Global effects Developing nations were especially hard hit
Many countries had to cut spending on social programs in order to pay for costly imported oil
In industrial countries, high oil prices caused inflation
After 1970s, many countries reduced their dependence on OPEC oil
Conservation and alternative energy
Hunted for new oil sources or bought from non- OPEC nations

8. Two Wars in the Persian Gulf
Iran-Iraq War
Persian Gulf War

9. Iran-Iraq War
After Iran’s Islamic revolution, tensions rose between it and its neighbor, Iraq
In 1980, Iraq launched a massive invasion of Iran
From , each side destroyed the other’s cities, ports, and oil fields
More than 1 million Iranians and Iraqis died
The war raised international fears when both sides attacked oil tankers and set mines in the Persian Gulf
The US sent warships to the Gulf to protect tankers in the region

10. End to Iran-Iraq War
Exhausted by their huge loses, the two nations finally excepted a UN cease-fire agreement

11. Persian Gulf War
Faced with massive debt and general unrest, Saddam Hussein sought a way to win popular support among Iraqis
He used military power to invade Kuwait in 1990
He claimed Kuwait belonged to Iraq
He also threatened Saudi Arabia

12. Global crisis
The UN condemned Saddam’s aggression and imposed a trade embargo on Iraq
The US formed a coalition of American, Arab, and other forces
In 1991, the coalition moved against Iraq by land and by air
Within a few days, Iraqi forces surrendered
However, Saddam remained in power in Iraq

13. Defeat of Saddam Hussein
War on Terrorism
Saddam was captured in December of 2003
He was executed on December 30, 2006 at an Iraqi army base