Major Conflicts and tensions
Arab-Israeli ConflictBefore and during the Holocaust, many Jews fled from Europe to the Middle East. Many of the Arab states were angry at the Jews. In 1948, the state of Israel was formed. Israel was one of the only democracies in the Middle East. Several Arab countries became angered and declared war on Israel. The most extreme part of the war was between the Palestinians. They waged a guerrilla war. Many countries tried to help, but it was no good. An agreement was eventually formed, and a cease-fire was announced in 2004.
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extreme IslamExtremist Ruholla Khomeini wanted the state of Iran to return to a very strict form of Islam. This new government restricted the rights of women and banned many Western pop culture elements such as music, books, and movies. Many of these extreme forms soon gained recognition in the area. The extremists, called Islamists, though many parts of Western culture were a threat to them. Some extremists encourage acts of violence towards westerners. This is one of the reasons many are prejudiced towards Muslims.
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Persian Gulf WarIraq had long been ruled by the dictator, Saddam Hussein. Hussein began to send troops over to Kuwait in 1990. Many, including President Busch Sr., believed that this was a plan to take advantage of the Middle East's oil. Along with more than 30 other nations, Busch demanded that Iraq groups withdraw from Kuwait. When the country ignored these requests, many air strikes were sent onto the capital by the alliance in 1991. These air strikes were soon followed by ground attacks. Heads of the operation were General Norman Schwarzkopf, and head of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Colin Powell. The war was very short, lasting only 6 weeks, however Saddam Hussein still remained in power and many still viewed him as a threat. Many believed that he was attempting to develop nuclear and biological weapons.
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