The Middle East is one of the most war-torn regions in the world. Since 1948, dozens of large-scale armed conflicts have erupted in the region, involving Palestine, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other countries, causing millions of deaths and displacements, and triggering global attention and intervention. Why is the Middle East so volatile?What are the causes of war in the Middle East?This article will analyze the root causes and effects of the Middle East war from four aspects: geographical, religious, ethnic, and interest.
The Middle East, geographically referring to parts of West Asia and North Africa, connects the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and is the meeting point of Eastern and Western civilizations. It once gave birth to the ancient Egyptian civilization, Mesopotamian civilization, ancient Persian civilization and other ancient civilizations of mankind, and is also the birthplace and holy place of Judaism, ** religion and Islam. The historical and cultural heritage here is extremely profound, which also creates the diversity and complexity of this place.
The geographical location of the Middle East region has also made it the object of contention and interference by the world's major powers. From ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Arabia, Mongolia, Ottoman, British and French empires, to modern Western colonization and division of power, to the modern Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and American hegemony, the Middle East has always been the focus and center of international politics. Countries and nations here often have to face external pressure and threats, but also seek their own interests and security, which has led to instability and turmoil in the Middle East.
The Middle East is one of the most important religious regions in the world. It is the birthplace and holy place of the three monotheistic religions, and it is also the main distribution place of Islam. The people here are deeply influenced and guided by religion, which is their belief and way of life, as well as their identity and belonging. Religion in the Middle East is both a cultural bond and a political force.
However, religion in the Middle East is also a source of conflict and a source of conflict. There is often hostility and intolerance between different religions, especially between Judaism and Islam, as they both have strong sovereignty and sentimental claims to holy sites such as Jerusalem, which are inseparable and shared. Therefore, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has become the core and difficult point of the Middle East issue, and it has also touched the nerves and interests of the whole world. Similarly, there are also profound historical and practical contradictions between religion and Islam, from the Crusades to the United States' anti-terrorism, from colonialism to hegemony, and the confrontation and conflict between the West and the Middle East, often with strong religious overtones and ideologies.
Even for the same religion, there are different sects and interpretations, which can also trigger internal divisions and struggles. Islam is divided into two major sects, Sunni and Shia, which differ in doctrine, teachings, and leaders, and have also had many wars and ** in history. Most countries in the Middle East are dominated by Sunnis, but there are also some countries, such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, etc., that are dominated by Shiites or have greater influence. This has led to sectarian disputes in the Middle East, such as the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraq civil war, the Syrian civil war, etc., all of which have Sunnis and Shiites opposing and interfering.
The Middle East is a multi-ethnic region, where Arabs, Persians, Turks, Kurds, Jews and other different ethnic groups have different languages, customs, histories and cultures, as well as different political and economic interests. The distribution and exchange of these peoples in the Middle East has both peace and integration, as well as war and antagonism.
To a large extent, the multi-ethnic problem in the Middle East was caused by the colonization and division of the West. After the First World War, the Western powers divided and divided the territory of the Ottoman Empire, creating some artificial countries, such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, etc., the borders of these countries were not divided according to ethnic and geographical divisions, but according to the interests and balance of the West, which laid hidden dangers for the later ethnic and territorial disputes. For example, the Kurds are a large ethnic group scattered in Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Syria and other countries, they have never had a country of their own, and they have been oppressed and discriminated against by various countries, and their national independence movement is a long-term destabilizing factor in the Middle East. For example, the Jews are a people with a long history in the Middle East, they once established their kingdom in Canaan, but they were conquered and expelled by the Roman Empire, and scattered around the world, until 1948, they established the State of Israel in Palestine, but this also led to conflicts and wars with the Arabs. These ethnic issues not only affect peace and stability in the Middle East, but also involve the interests and intervention of the international community.
The Middle East is one of the richest resource regions in the world. It is rich in natural resources such as oil, natural gas, and minerals, as well as fertile agriculture and water resources, which provide great support and guarantee for the economic development and people's lives in the Middle East. Oil in the Middle East is one of the most important energy sources in the world, and plays a vital role in global industry and transportation. The resources of the Middle East are not only a wealth and advantage, but also a kind of ** and a challenge.
The problem of resources in the Middle East is also an important cause of the war in the Middle East. Different countries and nations want to control and use these resources in order to enhance their own strength and income, which leads to the distribution and uneven distribution of resources, and also leads to the competition and grabbing of resources. For example, Iraq has waged wars against Iran and Kuwait over oil, which has been sanctioned and intervened by the United States and the United Nations. Syria, for example, has clashed with Israel and Turkey over water resources, which has affected the peace process and regional cooperation.
The resource problem in the Middle East has also attracted external interference and intervention. The major countries in the world all have strong needs and interests for the resources of the Middle East, they all want to ensure their own energy security and economic interests, and they also want to influence and control the situation and policies in the Middle East, which has led to their competition and confrontation in the Middle East, and has also intensified the tension and turmoil in the Middle East. For example, the United States has always been the main intervener and influencer in the Middle East, and it has not only established a solid alliance with Israel, but also established strategic partnerships with Saudi Arabia and other countries, and it has also deployed a large number of military forces and bases in the Middle East to protect its own interests and security, and has also carried out military strikes and political intervention in some countries in the Middle East in the name of maintaining peace and democracy, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and other countries, these actions have not only aroused opposition and resistance in the Middle East, but also caused dissatisfaction and countermeasures from Russia, China and other countries.
The causes of the war in the Middle East are multifaceted, and there are four main aspects: geographical, religious, ethnic, and interest. These factors, intertwined and influential, constitute the complexity and intractability of the Middle East issue. The impact of the war in the Middle East is also far-reaching, affecting not only peace and development in the Middle East, but also global security and stability.