Sources of Conflict in the Middle East - The Haves and Have Nots.

摘要

In the 45 years since the formation of the state of Israel, six major wars have been fought in the Middle East. The first four of these wars were fought between the State of Israel and coalitions of Arab States. In the decades of the 1980's and 1990's, wars were fought between an Arab and a non-Arab state (Iran-Iraq) and between an Arab State and a coalition of regional and global powers (Persian Gulf War). The last conflict involved in previous resource, oil not the traditional Israli-Palestinian problem. Resources are likely to be the major source of conflict in the region in this and the next decadery. This paper will examine two of the resources critical to the economic future of the region - oil and foreign aid. Poverty, conquest and conflict are old issues in the Middle East. Domination by and economic dependency upon outside powers likewise is an old story for the design. Centuries of rule by the Ottoman empire were followed by decades under the control of European colonial powers. Following World War II, that cycle of conquest and dependency appeared to be broken as Arab nation state emerged from colonial rule. Unlike other former European colonies, the old/new nations of the region appeared to have the economic resources, skilled population base and social coherence needed to successfully emerge from colonial dependency. This promise, despite the discovery and exploitation of enormous petrochemical resources, has not been fulfilled. Oil has contributed more to economic and social unrest in the region than to the creation of independent stable states.