What is a Good Way to Summarize the Middle East?

The “Middle East” was originally coined in the late 19th century by the British, along with other Eurocentric geographic terms such as the “Near East” (the eastern Mediterranean regions closest to Europe) and the “Far East” (China, Japan, Korea, and other East Asian entities much farther away from Europe). The region lying between the Arabian peninsula, Mesopotamia, and Persian and Central Asia is known as the Middle East.

In 1902 by US Naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan the name "Middle East" became popular. Specifically, there are different interpretations but I would say the area is mostly in Asia, including Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq. Now Egypt is usually considered part of the Middle East, and the Gulf states are also added ( Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE,…) Iran, and Afghanistan are also considered part of the area.

HISTORY

You must start in Antiquity to understand competing claims & narratives, as well as those forces shaping them. To get a decent focal point to grasp current affairs there are two things to keep in mind:

A) In 853 BCE Arabs first stepped onto the historical stage.

B) Arabs first became the regional force to reckon with in 632 CE when they began invading nation after nation.

My subjective focus is the Israeli Palestinian communal dynamic. By 638 CE Arabs had conquered all of what some refer to as "Palestine."

The next focal point for me is 1918–1920, the watershed point. In 1918 (actually December of 1917 but not officially) the land shifted from the Ottoman Empire to the British Empire. 1920 was the year that the British Military Occupation segued into the British ( civilian) Administration of Mandatory Palestine after the League of Nations created it.

The history is too long. Book The history of middle east Mansfield and Nicholas Pelham. It tells the history of the Middle East. I recommend this book to understand the history of the Middle East.

ECONOMY

Oil and Industry.

The main source of the economy of the Middle East is oil. The discovery of oil revolutionized the economy of the Middle East. More than 50 percent of oil is found in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of oil in the world. And in Turkey chrome, coal, sulphur, and magnesium are mined.

Agriculture.

Only 15 percent of the land is suitable for farming in the Middle East. Wheat, barley, and rice are chief food crops. Figs and dates are grown in desert oases and citrus fruits are in the Mediterranean coastal region. The major commercial crops of the Middle East are cotton, coffee, and tobacco.

Iran is under many conflicts. It has conflicts with the Kurds, then with separatist Turks in Azerbaijan Province demanding separation from Iran, Baloch insurgency, and the Khuzestan secessionist movement while its Government is also at war with its people who are anti-Islamic Republic.

Turkey is suffering from conflicts spreading from Syria and Iraq like ISIS, Kurdish separatism in Anatolia, and political marginalization. It is worth mentioning the Maoist insurgency in Turkey.

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