Why the Middle East’s Borders Guarantee Forever Wars

Select video clips courtesy of Getty Images

Select video clips courtesy of the AP Archive

Special thanks to MapTiler / OpenStreetMap Contributors and GEOlayers 3

[josephleonard]

lesson: never let the British draw borders

[Eurazba]

I'm Syrian-Lebanese on my father's side, I remember first being told that we were Syrian, and then being told we were Lebanese, the answer kept changing depending on the family member I asked. I was very confused why there wasn't a consistent answer and would wonder "are we Lebanese or Syrian?".
As I got older and learned more about the Sykes–Picot borders I realized why the inconsistency was there and the answer to which heritage we were was "yes".

[shadowstorm]

I think the most concise way to convey the difficulties in the area are to overlay maps of geography, ethnicity, culture, historical claims, and natural resources. Doing this reveals there is no combination that doesn't leave a very large number of people very angry about something.

[desmond-hawkins]

People in the West aren't usually very familiar with the 1916 Sykes–Picot Agreement, but I remember being shocked at hearing it mentioned by some ISIS fighters during their period of territorial conquest (c. 2014). A bunch of them had just crossed from Iraq into Syria and one of them said something like "F– the Sykes–Picot Agreement, this is just a line they drew in the sand". The West might not remember, but for some in the region the resentment is so deep that even 100+ years later these arbitrary choices still have major consequences.
*edit:* I found it! It's from Ben Anderson for VICE News, titled "Bulldozing the Border Between Iraq and Syria" and posted on August 13, 2014. Two mentions start at 2:50 in that video: "We don't believe in the Sykes-Picot agreement" and "We've broken Sykes-Picot" as they bulldoze the border (not _exactly_ what I remembered, but same idea).

[Jacaerys]

It’s hard to believe they were all part of a single empire at one time or another. The Persian Empire, The Byzantine Empire, The Ottoman Empire.

[ihavetowaitdaystochangem]

You can tell this video isn’t gonna be controversial because it has 0 dislikes on it!

[tayzonday]

If aliens land and tell humanity that Earth is their “protectorate” — the British have shown us what that means.

[lglstc]

Being born in Middle East is like starting the life in very hard mode. If you can survive it, you can survive anywhere.

[weamibrahim]

As a Syrian, it's nice to see this all explained objectively and with no bias. They did teach us some of this in school, but it had bias, and mainly focused on Syria. Keep it up RLL!

[keremmorgul]

I am blown away by the quality of this mini documentary. It’s amazing how much valuable information is weaved together in just over 37 minutes under a coherent narrative without overwhelming the audience with details. Respect!

[breecebeamer]

I like how we kinda just have Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait chillin'.

[KevinUchihaOG]

Wait, you mean to tell me that the conflicts of middle east, an ancient land with a long history with many different ethnicities, nationalisties, religions, is more complicated than simply saying that USA is responsible for it? Imagine my shock.

[alexandarm.]

Balkans : We are the most ethnically and religiously complicated area.
Middle east : Hold my beer.

[michaelmejia]

I learned more about the history of the Middle East in this single 37-minute video than I did in all my years at school! Crazy how easy this actually is to learn and understand once you include visuals alongside the words.

[ShahWirana-bqhv]

It is sad and bleak when most of the commenters here only seem to talk of the past that they themselves never lived in...but never would they talk about making the future better for everyone including themselves....

[lovetsky]

As empires carved up territories, they didn't just split the land; they fragmented cultures, histories, and the lives of countless families, friends, and neighbors. This division sowed chaos and destruction beyond their borders, all in pursuit of influence and economic gain. A pattern that continues to this day.

[Andy-mtpl]

As a person who lives in the Middle-East, this is very reassuring! In all seriousness though, politics here are so confusing that even though I've been living here my entire life, I still didn't fully understand it so thanks for the video!

[kairos_fluent]

I think a video about the Balkans geography and how that influenced the history and politics of that region would be very interesting.

[vizhviw]

Europe fought many wars and lost many lives before it stabilized and prospered, and the same applies to the Middle East

[WTH]

One point about the Sykes and Pico borders. They used the same reasoning of the Ottoman Empire.

A region in conflict with itself can never be at war with the overlords.