Conflicts in Southwest Asia

What is true of the stated goals of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and its outcome?

• The US government carried out the invasion in order to prevent a rumored Iraqi invasion of Israel, but uncovered no evidence of such a plot.

• The US government carried out the invasion in order to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait, but Kuwait remained under Iraqi control following the conflict.

• The US government carried out the invasion in order to destroy the Iraqi nuclear weapons program, but uncovered no evidence of such a program.

• The US government carried out the invasion in order to overthrow Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, but Hussein remained in power following the conflict.

Why did considerable support for the establishment of a Jewish state emerge after World War II?

• The events of the Holocaust illustrated the need to establish protection for the Jewish people.

• The Jewish people proved to be strong allies in the fight against communism during the Cold War.

• The Axis powers forced the Jewish people out of their traditional homeland during World War II.

• Jewish leaders pledged to hold free elections and establish a capitalist and democratic state.

What would MOST LIKELY be discussed under this headline: 'Ottoman No More: Sykes and Picot Reach Historic Agreement'?

• The establishment of a Jewish state

• The resolution of the Second World War

• The conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims

• The division of land after the First World War

Based on the information in the text and your knowledge of social studies, in which conflict involving the United States did the speaker fight?

• The Persian Gulf War

• The Afghanistan War

• The Vietnam War

• The Iraq War

Based on these headlines, which of the following statements is true?

• The American government was always in support of war against Germany.

• Some members of the American public were initially skeptical about stories about the Holocaust.

• The American government demanded immediate action to save European Jews.

• Some members of the American public demanded that the government do more to aid refugees.

Which of the following is reflected in this excerpt: 'The question of Palestine as a Jewish homeland goes back to the solemn promise that had been made to [the Jewish people] by the British in the Balfour Declaration of 1917-a promise which had stirred the hopes and the dreams of these oppressed people. This promise, I felt, should be kept, just as all promises made by responsible, civilized governments should be kept.'?

• Reasons behind the US invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan

• Reasons behind the establishment of the State of Israel

• Reasons behind the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire

• Reasons behind the outbreak of the First World War

Why is there resistance to creating an independent Kurdish state in the region highlighted on the map?

• The region is governed under a mandate from the United Nations.

• The region contains the holiest sites in Judaism and Islam.

• Several countries govern the highlighted region. It is not under a UN mandate.

• Several countries, including Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, would have to give up valuable territory.

Which statement about the 1947 United Nations plan after World War II with regard to Palestine is correct?

• The plan was to create a single Arab state.

• The plan was to create a single Jewish state.

• The plan was to divide Palestine between the Jews and the Arabs.

• The plan was to divide Palestine into a socialist state and a democratic state.

Which description best defines partitioning?

• Partitioning is extreme pride in one's own nation.

• Partitioning is the process of unifying a divided nation into one.

• Partitioning is the act of dividing a country or region into smaller parts.

• Partitioning is the belief that all Jewish people deserve their own homeland.

Immediately after the end of World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, European countries increased their involvement in the Middle Eastern political and economic affairs. Which of these BEST explains how this change took place?

• European Jews were fleeing the expansion and oppression of the German government.

• European governments were able to establish peace in the region for the first time in decades.

• European politicians did not take into account religious and ethnic groups when drawing new boundaries which led to conflict.

• European powers drew up new political borders in the region without consulting political, cultural, or historic realities.