Why is the situation in the middle east so terrible?

I'm wondering as to why the mass devistation is occuring. Do their views really differ from ours that they would completely destroy another country just because of their religious tastes (Isreal VS Palestine), or say things of distaste towards America regardless of the situation is. Could anyone tell me a specific point of time, in the modern world, where the situation went out of control? I already know about the 7 days war, but I am troubled as to why they are basing all their hatred just solely due to religion, WHY?

[edit on 10-11-2004 by NWObringer]

Great question. If more and more people concentrated on the answer to this question. the world would be a much better place. What really sucks is most of the most important events occurred before most of us were even born. Like we inheritted this bull#. My answer is just one perspective and limited at that. My answer is an uneducated guess.

Religion. More importantly, people in power in the middle east who have used religion to take advantage of the masses.

Islam, from what little I know of it, is a beautifull religion. Look how much money people devote to religion in the united states. Jim Baker and the like, lived like kings off the backs of hard working religious people. Imagine that going on for thousands of years. Sadam Hussein was a horrible man and he used religion, among other things, to control the people of iraq.

That's just one aspect. Another of course is the jews occupying palestinian land. I wish there was an online course I could take so someone could explain to me what all happened back then. When did the jews take this land? Whose land was it "officially" anyway? Where did the jews come from? What made them think they could just take this land as their own?

To me it seems that the middle east now, is like Europe was in the dark ages. They may have the technology we created but the countrys havn't evolved like europe have.

I once heard someone blame it on the heat. And, if Palestine where my promised land, I'd be really pissed at God... it ain't so great... maybe he could promise me the south-coast of Maine... now there is some nice land! Anyway... the area has been exactly like it is now (wars, hate, etc.) for about 4,000 years, give or take a century or two. It's just that now we have 17 24-hour news networks and we hear about it more often.

And for a non-thermal answer:

Flight to 911 Series

It covers a great deal of the past 100+ years and how the area (and the U.S.) has gotten to where we are. (read from the bottom up on the articles)

The area has usually been dominated by empires. For example the Ottoman or Persian Empires. After WWI England and France took over the area from the Ottoman Empire. They created borders, which didn't really exist before, and gave power to the people in the new territories that helped their governments. Creating Israel didn't help much either.

It's even worse in Africa. There were never borders between tribes before but look at how many problems there are in Africa.

Why is the situation in the middle east so terrible?

One word: ISRAEL

Yes, but Israel would not last a month without US backing.

Originally posted by NWObringer
I'm wondering as to why the mass devistation is occuring. Do their views really differ from ours that they would completely destroy another country just because of their religious tastes (Isreal VS Palestine), or say things of distaste towards America regardless of the situation is. Could anyone tell me a specific point of time, in the modern world, where the situation went out of control? I already know about the 7 days war, but I am troubled as to why they are basing all their hatred just solely due to religion, WHY?

[edit on 10-11-2004 by NWObringer]

This is not based on religion. This is based on american foreign policy. Almost all dictatorial regimes in the middle east have been put in place by the US, in order to secure oil profits for the US capitalist economy. This has destroyed the region's cultures and now there is only havoc and mayhem, and hatred towards the US for messing up hundreds of millions' people lives.

Blame the British....

During WW1 they needed arab assistance and promised "palistine" to the arabs who helped them. The arabs who settled there were NOT a tribe, but were from differnet regions.

After WW1 and WW2 the Jews who survived in europe started to make their way back to their ancestral home in order to make new lives. As the briitish were in control at that time, they put them into concentration camps on cypris as they sailed back, despite the Jews being told that they were allowed to travel back to Israel.

Eventually Britian couldn't solve the problem of how to have both the arabs and the jews both wanting the same land. So they did their best to disarm the Jews whilst the arab nations all around were armed to the teeth, and made some arbitary guidelines then pulled out letting them fight it out.

They did, the arabs lost, despite Egypt sending 90,000 men into the field, (with no maps and only one kitchen unit). The Egyptian leader vowed to "drive the jews into the sea". That vow has been echoed by Arafat and other arab nations around them, although after beating Egypt in further wars Egypt figured out peace is better than losing wars.

So that brings us to today, the decendants of the arabs who were given land by the british in the 1920's and then evicted after the 1948 war with Israel have called themselves "palastinians" and now exist in limbo ignored by their arab bretheren (Except when they need them for political purposes and rousing their own people to violence).

You can't blame it all on the British....

If America would just leave Israel alone things will sort itself out by nature. Why should Israel get millions on dollars of weapons to use against the Arabs? America is mostly Semitic meaning they would obviously back up Israel. If Kerry had have got into power it probably would have gotten worse than it is...



[edit on 11-11-2004 by phixion]

Why doesn't America leave ISrael alone?

Name me ONE other country in the region with a stable democracy and a 1st world mindset with western values?

Its the only country in the region that can be easily identified as first world. All the rest are corrupt regimes and failed states.

Its pretty obvious really when you look at it....

Its also the best place to keep an eye on the other corrupt violent and divisive countries around it with people who are more interested in keep the arabs quiet and disorganized than the Americans themselves.

Why is it first world? Because it's backed so greatly by the U.S. Maybe if the U.S had put more interest in the surrounding countries they would be more first world in the middle east.

Maybe it would solve the problem if they gave the Palestinians their own land... let�s see... Kashmir?

The easy answer to that is that the west, and america, HAVE poured money into the middle east in aid and help. Has it made any difference? Has all the food aid, financial help, interest free loans, military assistance etc ad nauseum... made the situation more pro western than it is at present?

No...

In the end Arabs are tribal and their first loyallities are to their tribes, not their nations, nor their western providers.

When trouble comes they return back to their tribes to toughen it out and all past agrements cease to exist. Thats actually the problem the west found in building the Saudi Arabian military, when trouble came the soldiers all wanted to be posted back to their tribal lands and not defend lands that were not of their own tribe.

This type of thinking and the other cultural issues have seperated west from the east for the last 1500 years. No western state has so far been able to come to accord with Eastern thinking for long, for the last 1500 years. The west and the east are locked in a perpetual fight of misunderstanding, with the people of both motivated by different issues.

Just how successful have the americans been at having bases in Saudi Arabia?

None they are closed down and moving them out.The very country where the west has tried for decades to build a relationship with was the one from whom Al Quaeda derived. All that failed money, and work.

Israel is the only western bastion in the middle of such a volitile region. Its useful as a forward military base, a lightening rod for unrest in the region, deflecting it away from other western countries, and for an economic avenue into the Middle East.

Israel has been unwilling to acknowledge Palestinian claims since it’s shame over the 1948 war. During that war, Jewish soldiers forced, or ‘encouraged’ over 750,000 Palestinians out of their homes. Israel then seized control over much of the Palestinian land and denied refugees their right to return.

Even though the Jews had owned only 7% of the land given to Jewish control in the 1947 UN partition plan, Israel now controlled over 90% by the end of the war.

The only way to win genuine Palestinian support for peace is for Israel to withdraw. Israelis have spent around 56 years avoiding the issue of Palestinians, refugees and land. They now need to confront reality head on; the occupied territories are not theirs to keep.

Now Yassar Arafat has passed away, Israel stand no chance of compelling the Palestinians to a partial pullback, it can’t just force millions of Palestinians to sign on. In any deal, without popular support it won’t last.

Phixion, I think your statement is totally unfair, especially if you have read any history on the topic. There have ben repeated attempts by Israel and America to reach a deal with the palastinians, all destroyed by Arafat.

If israel won't agree to their demands, such as the ownership Of jerusalem, etc, then its totally understandable, but certinaly consessions have been made and attempts to find a middle way worked on. Even clinton told Arafat face to face that he was destroying the work for peace in the Middle east.

Its because the palastinains themselves don't want a pece settlement that Israel is working on its own plan, to give back gaza and build a wall to protect themselves.

Making the palastianian people out as oppressed is a denial of histroy, that is so well documented. Sure they have been maipulated, betrayed and lied to, but that has come from their own leadership and other Arab nations.

You can't blame Israel if they won't roll over and let the palastians drive them out of israel, defence is a national right.

Originally posted by phixion
If America would just leave Israel alone things will sort itself out by nature.

If America left Israel alone, they would probably consider themselves free to actually retaliate against their enemies instead of continuing their role as practice target and regional scapegoat. The Arabs who hate Isreal should thank the US. Isreal might well destroy them if we wern't holding the leash.

Well, I thought about this, and I figured it out. After the second world war, the Middle East wasn't doign so great anyways. Know what really messed up a lot of countries?

The Cold War.

Well, look at the map. Where were the countries that the two superpowers used as pawns located?

Strange, the mideast and southeast asia!

Where are the bastions of extreme Islam?

Take a wild guess.

DE

The Middle East is in such a terrible position because of corrupt leaders both Arab and Western who make shady deals and then pretend to have the best interest of their people on mind and hand when dealing publicly with each other.

I also blame the British and colonialism for much of the problems in the middle east and elsewhere around the world.