Historians of the Middle East generally agree that the modern history of the region begins at 1798. That was the year when a small French expeditionary force under the command of general Napoleon landed in Egypt and conquered it without much of a local resistance. It was the first time since the time of the Crusades that a European army had occupied a territory in the heart of the Middle East. What’s worse was that it was only with the help of the British navy that the invaders were drawn out. The conquest of Egypt was not aimed so much to disturb the lives of the people living in Egypt but the region’s geopolitical significance made it vulnerable to competing British and French imperial rivalry. Hence the Middle East was brought to international arena of politics. For me, this signaled the beginning of what I will here call “1798 syndrome”.
British and the French succeeded in subduing Mesopotamia as a victory prize for defeating the Ottomans during the battles of the World War I. By 1919, the entire Middle East and North Africa (excluding Saudi Arabia) fell into the hands of various European states. The era of European domination ended with the destruction wreaked by World War II. US and the Soviet rivalry picked up the fight and once again the Middle East had to play the role of a battleground. Wars and invasions of the 20th century have made the region susceptible to those who make promises as the previous ones were followed by betrayals. Anglo-French agreement of Sykes-Picot and the Balfour Declaration are only two examples, not to mention the nationalist and socialist movements of 1950s to 1960s.
One of the reasons why the Middle East is going through this “spring” phase is that the Arab peoples are tired of being pushed around by outside powers. The Arab Spring is about geopolitics as much as it is about economy and social justice. The American occupation of Iraq, US’s support for Israel, and promises of democracy that resulted in destruction of a country, have played roles for the uproar we see on the “Arab Street”. Deposing of dictators who were both aligning with the US and oppressing their populations is a form of outcry for independence. That is, independence from outside interventions and independence for the Arab peoples to decide who should rule over them.
Arab nationalist narrative at the beginning of the 20th century was directed against the Ottomans, and later, the imperialist occupiers. Today, Israel is seen as a foreign entity on the Arab soil, Iranians are both ethnically and religiously different than the Arabs, while the Turks can be associated with late-Ottoman imperialism. Let’s face it! The protestors and the demonstrators are holding up national flags and are proud patriots. Despite the public opinion, abovementioned countries have a stake in the post-Arab Spring Middle East. Options for NATO interventions have been left to the end but still available while Russia and China are also placing bets on the conflict in Syria. As many others, I was optimistic about the Arab Spring but now have turned skeptical. Due to events in Syria, I am doubtful whether the Arab Spring will be able deliver the region out of “1798 syndrome”.
RECOMMENDED READINGS
William Cleveland, A History of the Modern Middle East (Westview Press, 2004)
Bernard Lewis, Faith and Power: Religion and Politics in the Middle East (Oxford University Press, 2010)
Rashid Khalidi, Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America’s Perilous Path in the Middle East (Beacon Press, 2004)
Akram Fouad Khater, Sources in the History of the Middle East (Wadsworth Publishing, 2010)
