New borders of Middle East infographic
Graphic shows how the map of the Middle East was redrawn.
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WWI CENTENARY

New borders of Middle East

By Duncan Mil

November 11, 2018 - Centenary of the end of World War I.

Constructed from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War, today’s map of the Middle East resulted from the Great Game -- the 19th century strategic rivalry between the British and Russian Empires in Central Asia.

After Ottoman Turkey chose to side with Germany in 1914, Britain and France struck a secret deal to share Ottoman wealth, industrial resources and territories when Turkey was defeated.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917, which led to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine, led to the first Arab-Israeli War in 1948. This was followed by Arab-Israeli conflicts in 1956, 1967, 1973–74, and 1982.

More than 60 other conflicts in the Middle East have occurred since 1948, claiming more than 1.75 million lives, culminating in the current civil wars in Syria and Iraq.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 08/08/2018; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty / Associated Press
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