A Force of Change
Between the First World War and the present, the Middle East has been shaped by the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, reorganization of national divisions, and full decolonization by European nations.
The Ottoman Empire was thoroughly dismantled by the victors of World War One, splitting it into the nation of Turkey and other new national states. This created opportunities for nationalist movements to take control in the ensuing confusion and forge new identities among the people of these nations. The Turks of Turkey are one such example; despite the popular trend of neighboring Islamic states, the Turks pushed to maintain Turkey as an secular nation, independent of state-mandated religious affiliation.
As a component of the aftermath of the First World War, the nations of Western Europe began withdrawal of their holdings from the Middle East, which allowed even further opportunity for independent nations to rise from the ashes of war-torn occupied lands. One such nation was Iraq, previously held by Britain; in post-occupational evolution, Iraq transitioned to a military dictatorship by the middle of the century, galvanized by revolutions and pride in a strong national leader.
In addition to the national independence movements following World War One, World War Two brought another major shift in the national boundaries of the Middle East that continues to carry political ramifications. After the Nazi decimation of the European Jewish population and amid growing European anti-Semitism, the victorious Allied powers moved to establish Israel as a formal Jewish homeland by taking land from the established nation of Palestine. This resulted in a violent half-century of national identification - Israelis created a mandatory-conscription military that held Palestinian forces at bay, and the Jewish population took assertive control of its new land by establishing a highly successful nation in the face of failing, ancient Islamic cultures.
The intensity of Israeli nationalism caused a mirror effect in Palestine, with many Palestinians turning to violence in anger over the new nation encroaching upon Palestinian lands. Pitched battles, terrorist attacks, and other violence continue through modern times as populations of Israel and Palestine assert their national pride and identities. Nowadays, the two nations are kept mostly separate by a huge defensive wall encircling Israel, which allows the nations to exist and assert their identities mostly independently of one another.
Turkey has remained relatively unchanged since 1914. The last vestige of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has been courted for inclusion in the European Union, though it remains excluded from the ranks of membership. Turkey remains a strong, secular nation with a long, proud history. Turkey has been a nation of notable continuity in the Middle East during the turbulence of the last century.
Citation
Eckert, Daniel C. A Force of Change. (2007, November).