Agreements Made 100 Years Ago in the Middle East

[longknife]

It's hard to realize how the current mess in the Middle East is not just squabbles against various sects of Islam but the result of the Sykes-Picot Pact and the Balfour Declaration. European busybodies leaping on the pyre of the Ottoman Empire to dictate their desires for the region.

How many here have even heard of these agreements – mostly kept secret at the time?

This article has some interesting information and links @ Middle East still rocking from first world war pacts made 100 years ago

 

[aris2chat]

It's hard to realize how the current mess in the Middle East is not just squabbles against various sects of Islam but the result of the Sykes-Picot Pact and the Balfour Declaration. European busybodies leaping on the pyre of the Ottoman Empire to dictate their desires for the region.

How many here have even heard of these agreements – mostly kept secret at the time?

This article has some interesting information and links @ Middle East still rocking from first world war pacts made 100 years ago

Nationalism and the idea of arab states were strange concepts. A few places were semi autonomous, but still paid taxes to the Ottomans. Mostly it was tribal groups that without a major authority or empire military force they would be at each others throats over ancient blood feuds. Even with figures like Lawrence and Faisal, unity was a disaster.