Download - The Rest of the Middle East
THE REST OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Egypt: The Gift of the Nile Most populous
Arab country in the Middle East
Dependant on one river for life
Historically produced some of the greatest technological and cultural achievements
Egyptians used basin irrigation
Barrages used when occupied by British
Salinization
•Used to be major exported in food but….•Egyptian cotton
Cairo, largest metropolis in the Middle East and all of Africa
An unfavorable trade balance had occurred
Tourism helps, but the violence doesn’t
U.S. is chief non-Arab ally.
Uses Egypt to help control the ME
Afghanistan High, rugged, arid
and mountainous Only land locked
country in the ME One of the poorest
countries in the World
Ethnic groups Pashtuns Tajik Hazara
Kabul is capital
Opium problem Mostly rural agricultural and pastoral Most successful crop is Opium Taliban used revenues to supply arms Worlds largest opium producer
2001 Taliban bans cultivation No harvest till U.S. ousted Taliban Now back up to producing ¾ of world opium
Afghanistan in World Affairs USSR invades in 1979 Mujahideen- anti-soviet rebel bands
supplied by the U.S. Turns into USSR’s “Vietnam War” Afghanistan’s 15 mil. hit hard
1million dead 2million displaced from homes 6 million refugees in Iran and Pakistan
Start to slip out of the worlds thoughts…..
Osama bin Laden develops al-Qa’ida
“the base” to wage wider jihad
Taliban takes control in 1996
Take Women out of work force
No education for girls Outlawed “un-
lslamic” practices
Northern Alliance Opponent of Taliban Wants to bring peace
back to people Supported by US,
Russia, neighboring countires
Wild West like bounty for Osama after 9/11
U.S./ British/Northern Alliance take out Taliban and al-Qa’ida strongholds
Osama and Taliban leader Mullah Omar slip away
Rebuilding Hamid Karzai and U.S.
Help rebuild government much of power remains
with warlords Al-Qa’ida and Taliban
personnel still at large On the positive side
Public services being built
Reforestation Possibly have world
largest copper deposit
50% of Jordan’s pop. is Palestinian
Similar to other ME countries
Lebanese Civil War Started because
religious factions 1982 War beings in
Israel and Syria
The Maghreb: Northwestern Africa
Morocco Algeria Tunisia Western Sahara