Southwest Asia & North Africa

Mesopotamia “The Fertile Crescent”

About 3000 BCE: Sumerians built the first known cities in S. Mesopotamia Dependent on irrigation from the river systems for wheat & barley Rich natural resources = multiple invaders Civilizations developed, collapsed & were replaced 550 BCE: Persians established an empire here where Iran is today

Mesopotamia: Ottoman Empire • Ottoman Empire : one of the largest &

longest lasting empires in history

• Capital city = Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey)

• Center of the Eastern & Western world for six centuries

• Ottoman Turks controlled this region from the 1500’s until after WWI - were defeated by the Allies, divided into new nations under British &/or French control

• Finally gained independence in 1932

Iran Revolution: 1979 • Shah (King): unpopular in Iran =

oppressive, brutal, extravagant & corrupt (viewed as a “puppet” of the western world)

• 1979 The Shah left Iran amid protests for his removal

• Replaced with the Ayatollah Khomeini , a republic with a theocratic constitution (Islamic religious law)

• Today they have both a President & Ayatollah (who holds more power)

Invasion of Iraq 2003 • The US invaded Iraq:

– "to disarm Iraq of WMDs,

– to end support for terrorism

– to free the Iraqi people”

• Invasion strongly opposed by a majority of US Allies including the UN

• 2005: CIA report - no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq

• Nov 2006 Hussein found guilty by an Iraqi court of torture & murder, death by hanging

• Dec 2011: Last American troops finally pulled out of Iraq, leaving behind a parliamentary democracy

Arab Spring Movement: Dec 2010

• Arab Spring Slogan: “The people want to bring down the regime”

• Revolutions in the Arab world, so far: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya. Uprisings in Bahrain, Syria, Yemen

• Major protests in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, & Oman

• Minor protests in Lebanon, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Western Sahara. Clashes at the borders of Israel

• Demonstrations have met violence from authorities and pro-govt militias

Economy

• SWANA economies range from being very poor (Gaza, Yemen) to extremely wealthy (Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia)

• Overall, nations in the SWANA are maintaining a positive rate of economic growth, though the gap between the wealthy & the poor is increasing, even in the oil rich countries

Discovery of Oil in SWANA BEFORE

• Religious conflict & wars

• European imperial and colonial expansion to control access to Asia

• Few schools or hospitals, mortality rate high

• Electricity unknown

• Very poor, tribes fighting each other

AFTER

• Still religious conflict (Israel)

• People wealthier and better educated

• Electricity and paved roads more common

GDP

Social/Culture • Numerous ethnic groups, which have caused tension, wars

• Primary Religion: Islam – Judaism in Israel, other religions represented in ME

• Primary language: Arabic

Political

• Monarchy: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan (Const Mon), Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE

• Theocracy: Iran

• Democracy/Republic: Lebanon, Israel, Iraq (post Saddam Hussein)

Red = monarchies

Government Systems

• Purple, pink: monarchy

• Green, orange, yellow, blue: republic

• Grey: none of the above

eNvironment

• Frequent earthquakes/tectonic forces have shaped this region’s physical features

• Rub’ al-Khali: one of the driest places on earth, home to moving sand dunes

Drip Irrigation in SWANA • Drip irrigation is commonly used

to make use of scarce water resources

• Allows for the direct transmission of water to the plant's root system

• Con: Expensive and easily clogged if the water is not clean

Water Resources (aka: “blue gold”!)

• Growing population = increasing demands on scarce water supply

• Competing claims over water rights = disputes (Strait of Hormuz)

• Wealthier countries use desalinization • Others drill ever-deeper wells which in

time may only make the problem worse

• “Virtual water“: By importing crops & concentrating on crops which require less water, a country can acquire "virtual water" & use existing resources more efficiently

The Strait of Hormuz

• Considered one of the most, if not the most strategic strait of water on the planet

The water passageway for 20 percent of the world's oil

The Tigris & Euphrates Rivers

• Turkey controls the headwaters which go into Syria, leading to conflict between the two countries

• Turkey disrupted the flow of the Euphrates in January 1990 to fill water reservoirs in front of the Attaturk dam

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) • Former British protectorate

• Oil rich

• Palm Islands & The “World”: Artificial peninsulas constructed of sand dredged from the Persian Gulf.

Suez Canal

• Artificial waterway in Egypt connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea

Aswan High Dam Purpose: to control the floodwaters & harness hydroelectric power

• Before: The Nile flooded annually. The flooding provided nutrients that enriched the soil, making the Nile floodplain ideal for farming

• After: Flooding was controlled; however, the farmers lost natural fertilizer brought by the flooding Nile