Ideas for next year's course

Next year, we will indeed get to the global conflicts earlier in the semester. We will stick to the Israeli/Palestinian issue to begin with, but we will look at British involvement in the area more closely through an examination of T.E. Lawrence, both in the Arab revolt and at the Paris Peace Conference, then go on to look at the Zionist movement and the creation of the state of Israel, ending with the big peace summit assignment.
Please post comments and suggestions!

Excellent video on Lebanon

Anthony Bourdain is a chef and travel writer who was filming a show on the recovery of Beirut's food scene when he and his crew get trapped in the outbreak of fighting with Israel. Worth a look for the sense of loss and tragedy he captures.
No Reservations: Beirut

Israel/Palestine

President Bush's speech to the Knesset in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary. Full text of the speech is available here.

Saudi social restrictions

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/world/middleeast/12saudi.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

- Neat article from today's Times

Isreali/ Palestine

Before the Great War the Middle East was ruled under one empire, the Ottoman Empire. But when conflict started it opened up doors to separation, unwilling to close. The Ottoman Empire was up against some of the world’s most powerful countries: Britain, France, Italy, Russia and eventually United states. Winning the war, the Allied forces, consisted of both a powerful military force and powerful ideas/compromises. The Allied powers were determined to win the war, which lead to go to the highest of the highs to accomplish there goals and keep their promises to the Jew and Arabs. The consequences of their actions lead to a continuation of conflict between nations in the Middle East.
Before the war was over the British and the French came to an agreement about what would take place with the Empire when the war was over. This secret agreement is known as the Sykes-Picot Accord. The contents of this concord said that the Ottoman Empire would be split between the British and the French once the war came to a complete stop. Looking beyond this settlement, in 1917 the British promised a home for the Jews, the Balfour Declaration, in order to win over their support in the war. At the same time the British gained support from Arabs in Mecca under the leadership of Sharif Hussein, in return the British would grant them
Palestine and they could be independently ruled. Along with this split of nations, both having their own piece of land, at the end of the war, Saudi Arabia decided not to join the League of Nations and Turkey established a republic in order to stay out of the international conflicts. The large Middle East formally ruled under one empire then broke up into many pieces that within time began to have much conflict with one another. Along with the devastation of separation there was also a large amount of wasteland because of the many battles fought in the area. Not only were the people separated but the war resulted in a lot of economic trouble for everyone.
The terms of the agreements were not deliberated thoroughly before any action was taken. Because today we can see that each agreement has many careless errors that didn’t affect the British and French but it profoundly affects the people that live in the Middle East today. The decision to split Palestine into three, in order to return the favor to the Jews and Arabs, was one of the worst decisions made. The conflict over land continues today because of the issue of ownership of Jerusalem and complete control of Palestine. The effect of WWI and the peace agreements that were made shaped the Middle East to lag behind in technology and modern thoughts about how a society should be ran. This Area is very much separated by religion and conflict which in the end does not allow room for modernization. Due to the many conflicts with in the Middle East and its resentment towards the west, this area will always be many steps behind the other parts of the world.

Israel/Palestine

#2

Zionism is, at its core, a belief in the need for a homeland for the Jewish people. The movement, which was formally begun by Theodor Herzl, was originally a response to strong anti-Semitism across Europe and quickly gained support following the Holocaust and became the dominant Jewish political movement.

In 1917, however, this movement became much more significant with the Balfour Declaration, which supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This declaration was formulated by the British government and was formally agreed upon by the League of Nations (what would become the U.N.)

Meanwhile, Arabs in Arab Palestinians resisted this declaration from the very beginning. Before World War I, Arab nationalism was relatively moderate and the generally only called for increased autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. However, During World War I, the Arab leader Hussein bin Ali corresponded with the British High Commissioner in Egypt during what is known as the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence. Although this correspondence did not result in a written treaty and the territorial boundaries laid out by the letters were ambiguous, McMahon's promises were seen by the Arabs as a formal agreement between them and Great Britain. At the same time, the Sykes-Picot Agreement was formed between Britain and France which agreed upon the division of the Arab lands between the two powerful countries. This agreement was followed through with, and in the following years, Arab nationalism became focused around anti-British rule sentiments.

Imperialism, Nationalism, and Terrorism

Imperialism and nationalism are in stark contradiction of each other. Imperialism seeks to dominate and control a nation, essentially eliminate national identity through submission, while nationalism serves to empower national identity and inspire unity therein.  Powerful cultures have established rule over the weak throughout history, always asserting authority and control over their subjects.  Even if the ruling power does not force assimilation on its subjects, there are always laws that command submission and privileges for the dominant culture that elevate their people.  In the Islamic Empire, Muslims did not have to pay taxes, but instead had the honor of serving in the very successful Muslim army.  During the British Empire, the English made a valuable global market of slave trade and slave labor.  In a more abstract sense of “empire,” the U.S. has established control over weaker countries in its history.  It has controlled the Philippines as a colony and Puerto Rico as a territory, and has covertly controlled power changes to work in its favor in many countries.

It is almost impossible to promote nationalism with the control and submission inherent to imperialism.  A submissive government works beneath a superior control, and therefore cannot control its interests and agenda.  If the government does not work toward the advancement of its own culture, it squashes nationalism. Beyond inspiring pride, nationalism inspires revolution and fights for political power.  Throughout history, nationalism is constantly seen to be a cause for overthrow, independence, and domineering militancy.  The U.S., the Palestinians, and the Nazis are clear examples of this. 

This is where terrorism comes into play.  If nationalism can cause violent revolution and mass genocide, it can cause terrorism.  It is widely accepted in the world today that every culture has the right to its own state and government.  Conflict over this issue can be seen with Tibet, the Balkans, and Israel/Palestine.  In weakness and desperation, terrorism is sometimes seen as the only way for a group to gain the upper hand in a conflict.

The Middle East is the product of a broken empire, facing the struggle of forging independent national identities and acting upon these identities.  While territorial warfare was common and accepted in ancient times, it is presently unacceptable.  Those who have not yet forged nations face more than simple territorial warfare.  On top of warfare, they must navigate through global politics, economics, diplomacy, and morality.  In conflicts like that of Israel and Palestine, parties resort openly to terrorism because it has become an inherent part of the battle.

Nationalism, Imperialism, Terrorism

It seems as if throughout history Imperialism leads to Nationalism which leads to Terrorism. An imperialist state begins conquering other areas and while people from all different social, political and religious backgrounds mix together, the need for social distinctions arise and people being to identify themselves with a certain land or area. Then these nations either aggressively fight for their own state (if they don’t have one) or aggressively defend it (if they can already claim a state as their own). This aggression has often been magnified to the extent that extremists take their nationalist action a couple steps too far, committing acts of terrorism in the name of their nation/state.
The Middle East has been shaped significantly by Nationalism and Imperialism and is being greatly impacted by Terrorism now. Outside nations (The US, for example) exert control over the Middle East because they have what we need the most, oil. When extremist groups committed acts of Terrorism the rest of the world responded in such a way that the Middle Eastern nations, rather than solely the extremist groups, looked like ones at fault. The nationalist ideas currently present in the Middle East have created enough conflict that it has become an international conflict.

Article

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/world/middleeast/22mideast.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=syria+israel&st=nyt&oref=slogin

here's the link.

Palestine and Israel: How Zionism and Nationalism Influenced the Conflict

Although the Zionist movement occurred in response to growing antagonism towards Jews in Europe, the movement also contributed to modern day conflicts between Israel and Palestine and the conflicts between Israel and the Middle East. The Zionist movement was founded by Theodore Herzl in the 1890s, and the primary goal was to establish a Jewish nation, born of nationalism, not religion. For Jews experiencing anti-Semitism in Europe, the development of a Jewish state was necessary; however, the location of the state, which was determined by the British during and after World War II, posed significant problems for the Middle East.
The Middle East, which was developing at the time of the creation of Israel, was also influenced by the British government. The British government, which promised the geographic region of Palestine/Israel to both the Arab Muslims and the Jews, based their actions on the Zionist movement and the ideas put forth by Theodore Herzl. By placing a Jewish state in the then developing Middle East which so politically, socially and religiously contrasted the surrounding counties, the Middle East came into its own identity to withstand significant differences with the Jewish state. Because the Jewish state was created on the basis of nationalism, it was fought with nationalism. The need for nationalism arises, such as it did in Europe for the Jew, when one self-proclaimed nationality becomes a strong presence in a specific area, thus recreating the demographics on a large scale.
By placing two developing groups in one area of the world, the British were essentially setting the stage for conflict. The Zionist movement, which began the move of Jews to the Middle East, is paralleled in the growth of nationalism throughout the Arab-Muslim Middle East. The rise of nationalism within any group comes from oppression, example or conflict.

Israel/Palestine

Q1 how the world war I and the peace conference that followed shaped today's middle east
World War I, occurred in 1914 as the result of European nationalist tension, was the primary starter of the actual territorial tension between Arabs and the Jews within Middle East. The peace conference (Versailles Treaty) that followed and the Britain’s role in both war and the treaty directly shaped what became of today’s conflict and territorial outline of the Middle East.
World War I was the conflict between the Allied force (France, Britain, and Russia) and the Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Ottoman Empire. In fact, the prevalent nationalistic idea seems to have given the nations some justification to occupy the opponent’s land. During the war, anticipating an obvious victory, the Britain and France had a secret agreement, Sykes-Picot Agreement(1916), to take Ottoman and divide its land into pieces under their controls after the war. To accomplish this agreement, Britain made promises to Arabic tribes their independent nations for helping Allied Forces occupy Ottoman Empire. This was the first actual involvement of European power into Arabian territories, which later eventually caused the prolonged territorial conflicts in the Middle East. In addition to Sykes-Picot Agreement, in 1917, the British made another promise to Jews to give them Palestine, their biblical “homeland,” through Balfour Declaration: which contradicted their first promise to the Arabs. Such dual, contradictory promises were the direct cause of the later huge confusion in the Middle East.
After the World War I, the Treaty of Versailles resulted in the League of Nations and carved up Middle East into the nations that had not existed before. Palestine became British protectorate along with many other Arab nations, while Saudi, Iraq, and Egypt became independent. On the other hand, the League of Nations recognized Zionism and the Jews’ right to occupy Palestine. With this trend, more than 40 thousand Jews immigrated into Palestine before World War II and caused a great confusion in Palestinian land in which a number of Arabs had settled for centuries. The increasing tension between Arabs and Jews in Palestine made the serious territorial conflict inevitable.
In fact, after World War II, as the Europeans give up colonies including Arabic nations, the Palestinian Arabs’ situation got even worse. As Britain gave up Palestine as its protectorate, British supported establishing Israel nation of Jews in Palestinian land. Furthermore, Zionism—the need of Jewish nation—met an enormous boost as the result of holocaust, and thus Palestine became more likely to be occupied by Jews. The tension did not get resolved despite UN’s suggestion of dual countries(Israel AND Palestine), and it resulted in Arab-Israeli war in 1948.
In fact, the Arabic conflict in the post-World War II is only the continuation of the tension formed during and after the WWI. The direct cause of today’s situation in the Middle East would be Britain’s dual promises to 1) win the war and occupy lands in Ottoman Empire and 2)recognize biblical order & Zionism for the Jews, during and after the WWI. Britain’s such lapse directly resulted in such a prolonged territorial conflict in the Middle East.

Nationalistic terrorism: imperialism’s Middle Eastern legacy

An article from the Economist's recent special report on Israel, describing instability in its military institution. http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10909916&CFID=4457665&CFTOKEN=95384609


Imperialism and nationalism are highly related, occurring as separate manifestations of the same impulse in the same group. Nationalism is a particularly vehement and exclusive way of identifying (or identifying with) a cohesive group and asserting that group’s right to rule itself. Nationalistic identity formation may arise in reaction to imperialism, when one nation exerts political, military, or economic control over another group, such as colonization. Circularly, imperialism is rooted in nationalism, in the belief that as one’s own group rules itself, so it should rule inferior nations and reap their economic bounty. However, nationalism is not necessarily imperialistic, and often is not, because not every nationalistic group commands sufficient power to control others. Terrorism, unsanctioned political violence, can be a response to imperialism, or an outgrowth of nationalism. In the latter case, it could be a way of expressing a particular group’s presence and encouraging (or threatening) action on its behalf.

The modern Middle East, though free of imperial colonization, still bears its traces, in its borders, languages, and cuisine. In response to occupation, initially by European imperialists, then by immigrant Jews, diverse Arab ethnic groups have coalesced into more cohesive nationalist ones. Within the modern state of Israel, imperialism and nationalism feed off one another and the promise of Zionism. The conflict to determine Israel’s borders erupts into both official wars and nongovernmental terrorism. Conflict and distinct enemies only sow further nationalistic cohesion, and greater commitment to imperialism. The often violent interaction of nationalist, imperialist, and terrorist groups creates the Middle East’s explosive and uncertain mixture of identity politics.

Israel/Palestine

2. Why did the Zionist movement set the stage for the long-term conflict in the Middle East and contribute to the rise of Arab Nationalism and the creation of Palestinian identity?

Theodor Herzl’s Zionism states the necessity of an independent Jewish state, an argument that rose to popularity after WWII, a time of great sympathy for Jews. Although Herzl never specifically cites a Jewish right to Israel, and Jews hadn’t had control for Israel for hundreds of years, Israel was partitioned by the UN after WWII into the Jewish state Israel and the Arab state of Palestine.

Arabs living in Israel essentially had no choice but to let a league of Western nations partition Arab land for the Jews, a people whom the Westerners didn’t even treat well themselves, on the claim that the Jewish race has a birth-right to the land that Arabs, Romans and Ottomans had been in control of for previous centuries. However, not all Isreali Arabs were against partition, as almost a third of Arabs living in Israel at the time were Jewish. However, Israeli Arabs and most other Arab leaders opposed the creation of a Jewish state in Israel as the majority of Israeli Arabs who were not Jewish would be trapped in a Jewish state.

But as the UN partitioned Israel in 1947, other Arab nations besides Palestine became angered at the impertinence of the UN and of the new state of Israel. Non-Jewish Israeli Arabs found themselves pushed out of Israel to make way for floods of Jewish immigrants, and pushed back across UN-decreed borders into the comparatively small state of Palestine. Surrounding Arab nations like Jordan and Syria were faced with Israeli Arab refugees seeking to avoid the tension rising between Jewish Israel and Palestine as Israel declared its full independence in 1948.
Arabs forced into Palestine began to identify Israel as the enemy during the Israeli-Arab war of 1948, and began to call themselves Palestinians to differentiate themselves from the Jewish people. Pan-Arab nationalists fed on the fire of the problematic Jewish state of Israel to argue the cause of a Pan-Arab state; a state that would include the lands of Palestine, an area that chose to maintain culturally Arab in the face of potential Jewish influence. Arab nations including Syria, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Egypt all backed Palestine in its fight against the Jews who had pushed fellow Arabs out of Arabian territory of pre-partition Israel.

Although Herzl never claimed Jews to have a right to Israel as his “Jewish state”, the UN’s partition of Israel and subsequent displacement of the majority of Arabs living in Israel set, sparked and fed a dispute that would involve all Arab nations. During a time of heightened nationalism all around the world, the dispute between Israel and Palestine logically follows the general political trend of the 1940’s, as well as the age-old arguments over these culturally-rich territories.

article

This is an article written last week about how the Middle East (in this article, Iran) is trying to limit Western influences on their culture. A top Iranian judiciary official stated that Western toys were putting "the personality and identity of the new generation and our children at risk" and causing "irreparable damages."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/04/29/iran.barbie.ap/index.html

Israel/Palestine

Historically, what is the relationship between Imperialism, Nationalism and Terrorism and how have these ideas/movements shaped the modern Middle East?

Nationalism is a reaction against Imperialism, and Terrorism is sometimes used as a means to a Nationalist end. When many different peoples are controlled by one dominant power through an empire, they often feel like they aren't being culturally or religiously represented in government. They therefore begin thinking about having their own state, and Nationalism becomes the answer to their opression. However, empires are not usually willing to give up territory for the creation of new states, and when a group of people are filled with Nationalist fervor they may use whatever means necessary to achieve their goals, even Terrorism.

The Middle East was bound to have a strong Nationalist reaction, because it has been a part of various large empires for over 2000 years. It was bounced between the Romans, the Muslims, the Ottomans, and finally the British, before having the chance to establish independent countries in the 20th century. When that opportunity finally came, an influx of foreign Jews upset the process, and united an otherwise loosely identified "Arab people." The Jews themselves were driven into the region because of nationalism, and were unwilling to leave because they felt entitled to their own nation.

The current situation in the Middle East is bleak: Jews and Muslims employ violence and Terrorism driven by excessive Nationalism to control the same small plot of land. The issue wouldn't be so difficult to settle if their Nationalism didn't also have a religious motivation, but unfortunately religion ties both groups the region, making them unwilling to compromise territory. Israel/Palestine is destabalized further by the Terrorism that is fueled by Nationalism, which was set up by the Imperialism that defined the region for so long.

Israel-Palestine #1


Right before World War I, nationalism and Zionism were sweeping through Europe. With this desire of freedom for occupied nations, World War I erupted in 1914 and flung the world into turmoil. Britain, France and Russia were against Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire (which contained the Middle East). The outcome of WWI, the peace conference in Paris, and Britain’s role in these events formed the outlines of the Middle East of today.

While physical battles were occurring throughout Europe, secret scheming was taking place between Britain and France. Foreseeing their victory in WWI, France and Britain signed the Sykes-Picot Agreement in 1916. Under this treaty the Ottoman Empire was broken into “Zones of Influence” to be ruled by the Allied Powers, with Britain controlling the land called Palestine. A year later in the Balfour Declaration the British promised Palestine to the Jews to contribute to the establishment of a Jewish homeland. In addition to promising the Jews Palestine, the British also gave their word that they would help create an independent Arab state if the Arabs would, in turn, help the British by rebelling against the Ottoman Turks in Arabia. Thus Palestine, later to become Israel, has been called the "Thrice Promised Land". With the end of the war in 1918, it was time for Britain to uphold its promises: to give the Jews the protectorate of Palestine and to help create an independent Arab state.

The Paris Peace Conference in 1919 after the end of WWI resulted in the creation of the League of Nations and the division of the Middle East. Britain now controlled Palestine, most of the Arabian Peninsula and Transjordan, and France controlled present-day Syria and Lebanon. In addition, nations such as Turkey and Saudi Arabia proclaimed independence. The League of Nations recognized Jews' right to settle in Palestine, while the people already settle there (of various Arab-Muslim decent) became increasingly angry with this massive migration of Jews into their land. After WWII, the UN suggested creating one state for the Jews and one for the Palestinians, but the Arabs already living there rejected this plan. Thus, because Britain promised Palestine to the Jews, while also promising to help create a free Arab state during WWI, territorial conflict over Palestine was to be expected. Eventually, Palestine was given to the Jews by Britain officially around 1949, forcing many Palestinians into refugee camps. Now, one topic of controversy is what territory Israel includes. Some believe the Jews have a right to own the land according to Biblical borders, while others go by what Britain's protectorate consisted of. The rest of the Middle East, however, does not even recognize Israel as a state, let alone think of what its borders are.


Since I will not be in class tomorrow, here is the link to my article:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/02/africa/israel.php

Israel/Palestine

The outline of today’s Middle East is largely a factor of World War I, the destruction of the long-standing Ottoman Empire, and the Paris Peace Conference held in 1919 by the Allied Powers. In 1914, the Ottoman Empire allied with Germany and Austro-Hungary against the Allied Powers due to increasing German pressure and the Turkish nationalist desire to expand the Turkish Empire. Instead, by 1918, the entire Ottoman Empire was destroyed as a result of the Allied Powers’ victory and the vast body of land was to be divided and distributed in accordance with British desire. However, by the time of the Paris Peace Conference, the British had already promised the land to three different recipients on three different occasions. The Sykes-Picot Accord (1916) was a small side meeting in which the British promised to divide up the conquered land between themselves and the French. In 1917, the British then turned around and promised the Jews a national homeland in the area now known as Palestine. The third and final negotiation the British made, called the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence, was with Arab leader Sharif Hussein in which the British pledged their help and support in the creation of an Arab state once the war came to an end. These three promises inevitably came back to haunt the British when it came time to actually divide the land and all three groups (French, Jews, and Arabs) waited expectantly for their promises to be fulfilled.
Syria and Lebanon were given to the French, and the British had control over Palestine and Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq and Kuwait). Originally the plan between the British and newly formed League of Nations was to enact the Palestine Mandate which would allow a homeland for the Jews, but this plan went poorly because it caused a massive uproar from already existent Arabs in the land of Palestine. Eventually, despite a proposal of a possible two-state nation in Palestine, the Jews claimed Israel and have held their claim on it ever since. Despite the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East’s general refusal to recognize Israel as its own state, the outline and borders of the Middle East created by the British have remained largely intact.

Here is an article written today about Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7384223.stm

Imperialism, Nationalism and Terrorism

Historically, imperialism has fueled nationalism, which has fueled terrorism. Powerful countries begin to enforce the politics and even control other countries, which eventually causes friction between the citizens of that country or area. The inhabitants of the country feel that they deserve to govern themselves, especially if the imperialist country over-steps it's reign over it's country and benefits from the country's success under their new stability. Natives of the country want to rule the country themselves, so they begin to focus their identities into a cohesive whole. The controlers of the territory usually don't support these nationalist sentiments, and sometimes decide to stifle nationalist agression by putting pressure on nationalists and sometimes using force against them. The revolutionaries then respond with equal force and agression, which often occurs in the form of terrorism.

After World War II there was an end to old European imperialism, which left artificial boarders around territory where nationalist sentiments had been growing. Arbituary allocation of territiry previously controlled directly or influenced by industrial European powers left certain domestic groups in control of new territories. Groups that identified themselves by ethnicity, religion, or geographcal location began to fight over territory such as the Suez canal and Palestine, which had formerly been under the control of other countries. Some communities (Palestine, for example) found themselves under the control of others who were given control of their territory as an attempt towards reconciliation and stability in the region. Great numbers of people found themselves isolated in their previous homes, without jobs or the amount of livelhood they had had, even under the control of imperialist countries. This caused the people in regions under Israeli control to turn to terrorism to get their attention and be heard. In the end, the terrorist problem in Israel is the result of friction caused in the middle east after the second world war as countries poorly delegated old imperalist territory and underestimated the unity and identity if it's peoples.

Israeli- Palestinian Conflict

Question 2
The Israeli – Palestinian conflict in the Middle East can be traced back to the Zionist movement which began in 1897. The leader of the movement Theodor Herzl became convinced during the Dreyfus affair that Jews needed a state of their own in order to survive in the modern world. Herzl states that “I consider the issue of the Jews neither in social nor religious terms… It is a national issue.” Nationalism was sweeping Europe and many Jews began to support Herzl’s desire for a Jewish nation.

At the end of World War I the Allies began to split up the old territories of the Ottoman Empire between themselves. The British promised Jews Israel in the Balfour Declaration, but also promised Israel to Arab tribes who helped fight the Ottomans in the Hussein-McMahon correspondence. The French also felt that they had claim to the territory due to the Sykes-Picot Agreement. Thus Israel was nicknamed the “Thrice Promised Land” foreshadowing the later conflict.

The land which would become Israel was previously named Palestine. The Arabs who lived in these territories did not call themselves Palestinians but instead associated themselves with other Arab nations. As more Jews immigrated to Israel during the years between World War I and World War II the native Arabs began to unite around an anti-Jewish movement. At the end of World War II the British gave up the providence of Israel to complete Jewish control. Jews finally had a home land that was recognized as a nation by the Allied forces. To avoid conflict the UN decided to split Palestine into two nations, Israel and a Palestinian nation. But the Arabs did not agree to this agreement made by the UN. Instead war broke out between the Israeli’s and the neighboring Arab nations, who were harboring many Palestinian refugees. Israel ended up winning these wars due to their advanced military funded by the United States.

Thus the end of World War II and the establishment of Israel led to the rise of Arab nationalism. Palestinian identity formed, rather than because of regional similarities, but as a way to unite against a common enemy, the Israelis. In the 70’s the Palestinian Liberation Organization, was founded. The PLO led many terrorist actions against Israel. The conflict is still unsolved. Now the Palestinians have been put in a position much like that of the early Zionist Jews, desperately fighting for a homeland.

Israel/Palestine Response Paper

Choose one of the questions below and respond in a brief, well-constructed, concisely argued essay. Please post with an "Israel/Palestine" label.

1. How did World War I and the peace conference that followed shape the outlines of today's Middle East?

2. Why did the Zionist movement set the stage for the long-term conflict in the Middle East and contribute to the rise of Arab Nationalism and the creation of Palestinian identity?

3. Historically, what is the relationship between Imperialism, Nationalism and Terrorism and how have these ideas/movements shaped the modern Middle East?