US Conflicts in SW Asia Crash Course

​Conflicts in SW Asia Crash Course​

by Jones Middle School

A root cause of much of the conflict in the Middle East is the way the Ottoman Empire was broken up after World War I. This was known as the "Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire." Partitioning means to break into parts.

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Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire

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The countries that won World War I turned many of the areas of the Ottoman Empire into something like colonies. Many of the territories controlled by those powers eventually became countries in the Middle East.​

Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire

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The problem is, the European powers did not pay attention to who they put together and who they separated. In Iraq, they created a country that had about an equal number of Sunni and Shi'a. Those two groups have been fighting for hundreds of years.

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Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire

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Another issue was the Kurds. They wanted to have their own country, but they were split between several new countries. This has led some Kurds to try to leave using violence.

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Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire

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Multiple Choice

What does partitioning mean?

• to invade another country

• to break something into smaller parts

• spreading a religion

• voting for a new government

Multiple Choice

What was the issue with how the European powers partitioned the Ottoman Empire?

• They created large colonial empires that didn't use resources efficiently.

• They didn't allow the Ottoman Empire to continue protecting the holy sites of Islam.

• They put people together that didn't get along and separated people that wanted to live together.

• They shouldn't have been allowed to partition it because they Europeans lost World War I.

Multiple Choice

What would it be a bad idea to put roughly an equal number of Sunni and Shi'a together in Iraq?

• the two sides might fight for control of the country

• the two groups might join together and invade other countries

• the Sunni and Shi'a do not speak the same language so they cannot communicate

• the Sunni and Shi'a get along well and there is no problem with it

Multiple Choice

How did the Kurds most likely feel about the Partitioning of the Ottoman Empire?

• They were happy that they finally got their own country.

• They were upset that they did not get a homeland for their people.

• They did not care because countries in the Middle East have a common market.

• They were upset because they wanted to continue to be ruled by the Ottomans.

Not all of the conflicts in the Middle East are directly related to the partitioning. Some of them are a result of US involvement in the region, aggressive actions of dictators, and the US response to terrorism.

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US Intervention​

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Persian Gulf War

• In August of 1990, Saddam Hussein of Iraq invaded Kuwait

  The US responded by sending military assets to Saudi Arabia (Operation Desert Shield)

  In January of 1991, US and allied coalition troops invaded southern Iraq and Kuwait and pushed out the Iraqi army (Operation Desert Storm)

  Hussein stayed in power

Invasion of Afghanistan

• On September 11, 2001 terrorists from al-Qaeda attacked the World Trade Center

• ​al-Qaeda was upset that the US was supporting Israel and that they left troops in Saudi Arabia after the Persian Gulf War

  The US responded by invading Afghanistan in October of 2001

  The goal was to destroy al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan and remove the Taliban from the government of Afghanistan (for aiding al-Qaeda)

Invasion of Iraq

• In March of 2003, the US invaded Iraq

  The reason was a believed link between Iraq and Al-Qaeda and believed stockpiling of WMD

  Hussein was overthrown and a new democratic government was set up

  In 2006, Saddam Hussein was executed by the new US supported Iraqi government

Multiple Choice

What started the Persian Gulf War in 1990?

• Egypt invaded Syria

• Iraq invaded Kuwait

• Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center

• Israel invaded the West Bank

Multiple Choice

What type of government did the US install in Iraq after the invasion?

• Parliamentary Democracy

• Theocracy

• Dictatorship

• Monarchy

Multiple Choice

Who attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001?

• Saddam Hussein

• al-Qaeda

• The Taliban

• The Israelis

Multiple Choice

Which of the following was intended to remove the Taliban from power?

• The Persian Gulf War

• The Invasion of Iraq

• The Invasion of Afghanistan

• The Israeli invasion of Gaza

Multiple Choice

What happened to Saddam Hussein after the Persian Gulf War?

• He was executed.

• He was exiled.

• He was left in power.

• He was promoted to King of Iraq

Multiple Choice

The US sent troops to defend Saudi Arabia from Iraq during which conflict?

• The Invasion of Iraq

• The Invasion of Afghanistan

• The Arab/Israeli Wars

• The Persian Gulf War

Multiple Choice

What happened to Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Iraq?

• He was killed in a raid by the US Navy SEALS.

• He was allowed to remain in power, but his ability to wage war was limited.

• He was turned over to the Iraqi government and executed.

• He fled to Afghanistan and started the terrorist group al-Qaeda.