How Significant Was the Presence of Foreign Powers as an Influence on the Nature and Growth of Arab Nationalism in the Years 1900-2001?

Nationalism played a huge role in this event due to the Middle Eastern countries longing for independence for their own nation.

Aided by European conflicts and growing nationalism, imperialized people won their autonomy in the 1900s. While this feat represented the will of determined ethnicities, the minimal presence of European powers allowed the uprisings to succeed. Unlike the 1900s, many powerful nations are heavily invested in the state of the Middle East, resulting in a fragile system of alliances that can easily crumble with increasing conflicts. Therefore, although the Iraqi Kurdish people overwhelmingly desire independence, the deterioration of the global ecosystem justifies the need for the United States to support a unified Iraq.

Pan-Arab had several aims, goals, and movements, During the late 19th century and early 20th century Pan-Arab increased literacy renascence. Political agitation led to Arab states independence of the Ottoman empire.One of Pan-Arab goals was to unify its nation. During World War I France and Great Britain Seeking allies against the German-Turkish alliance encouraged the Arab nationalism. During the Arab-Israeli War of 1976 however set them back several years. The Arab states showed new interest in using oil in their economical and and political weapon in international affairs. However, this was

Arab nationalism would begin to gain popularity in the 1910s, as the power of the Ottoman Empire steadily decreased and Arab people were increasingly enticed by the idea of an Arab unity. The development of Arab nationalism, especially in the 1910s and 1920s revolved around three critical events and movements. The first major development in Arab nationalism was the emergence of the ideology itself from cities throughout the Middle East, particularly in the Fertile Crescent where the movement gained popularity in reaction to changes that happened in 1908 in Istanbul, the heart of the Ottoman Empire. Second, WWII made it possible for some Arabs, with the support and direction of a new ally, the British to fight against the rule of the Ottomans. Thirdly, with the Ottoman Empire crumbling in the late 1910s, Arab nationalism was able to became the dominant ideology and would subsequently became increasingly popular after the British backtrack on its promise to Sharif Husayn and the Hashemite family to form an Arab kingdom (Khalidi, 1991, p 205). The British, for their part, incited the Sharif of Mecca to launch the Arab Revolt during the First World War. The Ottomans were defeated and the rebel forces, loyal to the Sharif's son Faysal ibn al-Husayn entered Damascus in 1918. By now, Faysal along with many Iraqi intellectuals and military officers had joined al-Fatat which would form the backbone of the newly created Arab state that consisted of much of the Levant and the Hejaz.In addition to Arab revolt by Sharif Husayn in 1916, various revolts had significant influence in the spread of nationalism in the Middle East. A number of Arab revolts against the European powers took place following the establishment of the British and French

The reason why he convinced Husayn was because at that time, European powers wanted control along the eastern Mediterranean including Palestine, and the Ottoman Empire was aligned with Germany against Britain and France in war. In return the British would support the establishment on an Arab state under Husayn rule in Arab states such as Palestine for their support in the war. Sadly the Arabs weren't the only ones who were promised land by the British. The British won the war and took control of the Arab states such as Palestine and in the Ottoman Empire. In 1917, the foreign minister of Britain- Lord Balfour, issued the Balfour declaration where he announced that the 'government supports the national home development in Palestine for the Jews'. This information is relevant because It shows that the British are to blame for the broking promises that lead to tension and violence between the Jewish and the

Much of the Middle East experienced centuries of Ottoman rule, generally from the mid-sixteenth century up until the declining years of the nineteenth century. The Ottomans' hold on the Middle East was often tenuous and frequently interrupted. Perhaps the biggest relic of British rule was the institution of monarchy, which they secured in almost all the lands they ruled. Nevertheless, the powerful forces uniting the Middle East have at times also been sources of division and conflict. In many historical episodes subtle differences in dialect or ethnic identity have served as powerful catalysts for the communication of national or sub national loyalties.

In October, 1915, McMahon wrote to Hussein on behalf of the British government about boundaries of the Arab state. The main point behind this document was that Britain would the Arabs to an Arab State, in return for their support as allies in World War One against the Ottoman Empire. In this letter, McMahon notes a few areas of Syria that would have to be excluded from the boundaries as ‘they cannot be said to be purely Arab’. This is the point at which the document greatly complicates the situation as the Arabs interpreted this as Britain promising Palestine to them at the end of the War. This document represents Britain making a ‘series of promises to the Arab people’, and convincing the Arabs to rise up and help Britain revolt against the Ottomans and Turks so that they could live freely. This document was written to gain allies for Britain and to help them expand their empire by befriending the Arabs and convincing them that they could help and protect them. The second document mentioned is the Sykes Picot Agreement, this was an agreement written in secret between Britain and France in which they ultimately divided the Middle East between themselves and Russia. This agreement was written whilst the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence was occurring and outlined the areas that would be under French,

Sykes-Picot Agreement: This was an agreement with the French and the British where they would split the Middle East for themselves. This secret agreement had an economical impact on both the British and the French because

The political and social conditions of Europe before the onset of the World War I were extremely unstable and undergoing a rapid transition that was driven by national interests of different nations living in the region. Nationalism was endorsed to promote patriotism among masses and to achieve political objectives that were in alignment with the national or political interests of countries. As the time passed, the growing influence of imperialism and the ideology of nationalism manifested multifaceted

As the Ottoman Empire’s fall drew closer, the concept of Arab representation and its manifestation as both a valid state and successor rose as a strong candidate towards a new rule. However, the Arab world is faced with two distinctive parties that wish to establish their own set of rules of national identity. The first party belongs to the Pan-Arab movement that wishes to unite all the Arab people from the farthest east to its west of the Arabic speaking world. Meanwhile, the second party involves advocates of separate national identities that are distinguishable between each nation instead of one solid nationalist vision. Both parties contain an argument as to what is the most beneficial towards the Middle Eastern and North African region. With Pan-Arab leaders, such as the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party’s Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar, advocating a strong anti-imperialist sentiment in the face of European involvement in the Arab world and caution of the Ottomans’ gruesome history repeating. Additionally, Pan-Arab nationalism and socialism was advocated by prominent leader Gamal Abdel Nasser. On the other hand, prominent state nationalists that wanted their own independent countries to rise came forward with leaders such as Lebanese intellectuals like George Samné and Antoun Saadeh, who recognized the sovereignty of their own Syrian statehood and defied the concept of a more group inclusive ideal.

In late 2010, a tidal wave of uprisings and protests in various parts of the Arab world emerged. It began with the Tunisian revolution when the martyr Mahmoud Bouazizi set fire to himself as a result of the deteriorating economic and social. This led to protests and demonstrations that ended with the fall of the ruling regime. In Tunisia which sparked the beginning of revolutions in many Arab countries, this is known as an Arab Spring. The question remains what are the real reasons that led to the Arab Spring and its effects? the causes of the Arabic spring May be varied, depending on the places, however the reasons can be a corruption in economic policies and demand social justice as the key motives and protests in the Arab world. This essay will discuss the most important reasons, and the effects of what is known as the Arab Spring.

Ottoman Empire was an Islamic empire, which ruled Middle East and some other parts of the world for almost 400 years. On one hand Ottoman Empire became an ally with Germany in the First World War and on the other hand some of the Arab leaders held a revolt against the empire, which were the main reasons of its collapse. While Arab leaders were dreaming of an Arab unification, European powers were seeking their interest and try to secure the territories they took over in the war period. Versailles conference was held between Arab and the European leaders to define borders and create new states. Due to weakness of Arab leaders and their lack of experience most of the decisions were made in favor of the Europeans expectations of the state. And as a result Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon were emerged (Pappe, 2005) and (Fawcett, 2005).

The Middle East is a region to which the superpowers attached great significance and in which they evidenced great attention. The United States and the Soviet Union became the main external powers of significance in the Middle East in the period since the end of World War II but mostly since the mid-1950s and the withdrawal of British and French influence from the region. The superpowers had conflicting and similar interests and their policies often clashed, but they avoided direct conflict while their respective clients were occupied in war. The Arab League, an organisation that represented all of the Arab countries, promised its support for Nasser and Arab enmity towards Israel amplified still further. There were also key changes in other parts of the Middle East, which had conventionally supported the West. The pro-western system in Iraq was overthrown in 1958 and Syria and Libya both began to look to the Soviet Union for military aid. In 1958 Syria and Egypt created the United Arab Republic, this lasted for three years until a revolution in Syria in 1961. Nasser had hoped that this would be the foundation for the Pan-Arab movement that he dreamed of. In 1964 Nasser supported the starting up of the Palestine Liberation organisation. A few incidents, such as the Suez Crisis led to Superpower involvement in the Middle East on a large scale. From being a Middle Eastern concern, relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors became a potential global crisis point. To try to

Between 1922 the British Government used policies to tackle and deal with problems arising in the middle east after World War 1. These policies were used to take advantage points that would later help the success and growth of the British Empire and its colonial states and allied independent states. These policies were made to affect specific groups of people and different societies such as, the Jews in search of a national home, and the Arabs who believed had the claim over Palestine. The British befitted by making policies that would affect their overall strength, economy, and influence in the Middle East. Thought the policies didn’t offer either community political right, it helps the two communities (Arabs and Zionists) to organize their

Arabization had a considerable impulse during Boumediene’s presidency (1965-1978) and that was aligned with a dramatic decline in