Topic+A-31+Identify+Cold+War+conflicts+in+the+Middle+East

= Cold War Conflicts In The Middle East =

== The Middle East was an important theater in the Cold War. It was one battleground where the Super Powers of the United Soviet Socialist Republics and the The United States faced off.

**Soviet-Afghanistan Relations **  In late 1979 the USSR invaded the past-neutral country of Afghanistan. This was a major threat to the United States forced because of its immediacy to the Persian Gulf. Oil from this area fueled the American life and a minor disruption would be catastrophic. Since 1953 the United States has close political ties with Iran. The United States military had around 50,000 military personnel training the Iranian government, and supervising oil production for the benefit of the West. Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was the leading shah since the start of political ties with the United States. The shah’s reign was coming to an end in 1978 when resistance against him started. The shah resigned in 1979 and was replaced by the ayatollahs, who were the leaders of the Shiite Branch of Islam. The United States ambassador to Iran urged the United States to bond with the new government.(Baughman) Throughout the 1950s and 60s the Soviet Union became a close ally of Afghanistan. They supplied the developing country with economical aid consisting of about two and a half billion dollars in total. Afghanistan sided mainly with the Soviet Union but Iran and Pakistan were allies with the United States. The Sawr Revolution created a barrier between the new government and outside forces (the Soviet Union). Moscow grew weary about the idea, and as Afghanistan drifted farther and farther away Moscow made the decision to invade the country with 300,000 men, along with numerous tanks and airplanes. Many countries non-related to the incident condemned the act of invading and as a result vetoed the invite to the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The Soviet Union had total control over the country and set up military bases at every major city. This act of occupation angered opposition groups and forced them to fight back at a small scale. Combined, these groups were called the Mujahedeen. This combined group fought both the Soviet occupiers and also the still stable Afghanistan Army. This invasion was similar to that of the Peninsular War in the 1800s. During this war, the French invaders were constantly being attacked at a small scale which over time wearied down the army. Almost the exact same thing happened in Afghanistan in 1980.  When Mikhail Gorbachev came to power as the leader of the Soviet Union in 1985, the war changed. The angry citizens of the Soviet Union wanted an end to this war saying that it cost them money to have their troops killed in Afghanistan. In the next two years as United Nations agreements pulled Soviet forces out of Afghanistan. As opposed to the 300,000 originally, over the next few years until 1989, the Soviet Union only stationed around 100,000 troops or less in Afghanistan. In 1989 the Soviet Union pulled their final troops out. The resulting casualties were catastrophic. The USSR released the number dead to be 15,000, and the number that were wounded, got sick, incapacitated, was more than 400,000. This was a remarkable 73% of all forces sent there. The presence of the Soviet Union is very similar to that of the US in Vietnam. Neither side won, but one side took casualties that could not be compensated for. The presence of the Soviet Union put Afghanistan into turmoil which resulted in a new government, terrorist organizations, and a bloody civil war. Afghanistan was a major asset to the Soviet Union but was unable to be contained on its own and had to be spoon-fed. All in all, the Soviet presence in Afghanistan was one of major differences and problematic actions.  **Religious and Secular Values Clash in Iran** There was quite some tension in Iran during the Cold War, stemming mainly from the wealth coming from the oil industry, because it caused there to be a growing clash between traditional Islamic values and modern western materialism. All of the Middle East had this problem, but Iran had it worse than any other country in the Middle East. Iran did not even go through any significant industrialization until the 1970s and later, near the end of the Cold War. Since Iran was just starting to have industrialization, the wanted their economy to be driven by Iranian companies. They did not want foreign companies to take control of their economy before they could even get rolling. After World War II, although not wanted, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi realized that Iran needed to accept Western governments and rich western oil companies into their country. Nationalists in Iran didn’t want foreign companies taking control of Iran’s economy, so they joined together under Prime Minister Muhammed Mossadeq. Under new leadership, Iran was able to start successful Iranian businesses that helped shape their economy. Before long, though, the United States became worried that this new government would fight alongside the Soviets, so the United States put the Shah back into control, so that Iran would not become another enemy. All this conflict was led by two men- Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, and Muhammed Mossadeq. Pahlavi inherited power from his father, while Mossadeq gained power through popular support within Iran. Mossadeq supported Iranian-only business, which made almost all Iranians support him. This made it easy for him to gain more and more power, to the point of taking over as the nation’s leader. Pahlavi was significantly less popular within Iran, but way more popular with the rest of the world, because he supported ideas essential to Iran’s future, such as modernization and westernization. By allowing westernization, the United States reaped benefits from having businesses in Iran, so when Mossadeq took over, the United States was more than happy to come in and help Pahlavi regain control of Iran. Mohammed Reza Pahlavi was unpopular within Iran, but he was an absolute necessity for Iran’s future. In later years, there continued to be arguments, but as time wore on, and as Iran made further strides in industrialization, conflicts began to lesson. More Iranian businesses and foreign businesses alike being created over the years helped Iran progress towards where it is today. Iran, even the Middle East as a whole, is one of the most conflict plaqued places in the world today, but at least for Iran, things are better than they used to be.

**The United States Supports Secular Rule ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal;"> With support of the United States the shah westernized his countries. The capital of Iran was filled large skyscrapers, foreign banks and modern factories. Many of people still lived in poverty, the Shah attempted to weaken political influences of conservative leaders, they were also known as Ayatollahs, they were against western influences. Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini was the leader of this religious group, who was living in exile. There were tape recorded messages made by him that sparked riots in every major city in 1978. The pressured Shah fled the country in 1979, Ruholla Khomeini returned to Iran to establish and Islamic state and to export Iran’s militant form of Islam.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: normal;">**Confrontations In The Middle East Khomeini's Anti-U.S. Policies**  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; text-align: left;"> On the morning of November 4, 1979, at 10:30 A.M. around three thousand people jumped the wall around the embassy and mobbed the grounds, going into the basement and first floor of the chancery building. The guards launched tear gas, but they were unable to control the mob. Then Islamic militants rounded up 66 embassy workers, military officials, and Marine guards. This is the Iranian Hostage. The hostages were blindfolded, bound, and shoved into windowless rooms. 66 people were held captive in the embassy compound. Yellow ribbons were tied around tree trunks throughout the country to symbolize the hostages. President Carter responded by holding billions of dollars in Iranian assets. Still, the Iranians refused to release the hostages. A rescue attempt, while President Carter was trying to negotiate the hostages' release, behind-the-scenes a daring rescue plan was taking shape. Later Iran and Iraq had a war and the Americans aid both side. On the other hand the Soviets only helped Iran. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">Israel and Arab States in Conflict: Wars Break Out ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> The day after Israel became a nation, neighboring Arab n﻿ations mainly Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia attacked it. The military superiority or the Israel defense force was able to repel the attack even though they were heavily out numbered. In a power-frenzy, Israel charged through the 50/50 split Palestine. Palestine was split between the Arab nations and Israel, as Israel became a state. Outraged by the attack, Israel took 60% of the Arab part of Palestine. The ability for Israel to do this was astounding to the rest of the world. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">Suez Crisis ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">In 1956, the Middle East exploded into conflict again when Egypt took control of the Suez Canal. The Canal was originally owned and operated by the Anglo-French company, but the British soon took over control of it. With help of Britain and France, Israel took back possession of the canal. After the take back, Israel took possession of it. Soon after though, the United Nations urged Israel to give control back to Britain. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;"> **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">Arab-Israeli Wars Continue ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> In 1973, the Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat launched an attack on Israel. This war was known as the Yum Kippur war, the attack was launched on the Jewish holiday of Yum Kippur and also took place during Ramadan. The offending Egyptian and Syrian forces were armed with Soviet weapons, which easily could have ended the existence of Israel. Only with the US support of Israel did they win. The counter attack was ordered by David Elazar. Israel recovers most of the lost land and the war ends in an armistice. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">The Palestine Liberation Organization **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> The Palestine Liberation Organization was created in 1964, during a meeting of the Palestinian Congress in an effort to give a voice to the large numbers of Palestinians living refugee camps in Lebanon. There leader was Yassir Arafat, there goal was the destruction of Israel. Any of the Palestinians living under Israeli rule wanted their own home land. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">Efforts At Peace: Sadat Moves for Peace ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"> In 1979, with the help of then-current president Jimmy Carter, Israel and Egypt signed what was called the Camp David Accords. These were a series of agreements for peace in the Middle East. The Israel leader in the accords was Menachim Begin. The other power was Egyptian president Anwar El-Sadat. Egypt was the first to recognize the newly formed Israeli nation as a real country, and as a result was labeled an outcast by other nation in the Arab League. The League kicked out Egypt after the Camp David Peace Accords. Soon after, President El-Sadat was assassinated by a radical group of Arabs. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;"> **Israeli Palestinian Tensions Increase**  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">The Palestinian Liberation Organization was falling apart during the 1970s and 1980s. They had a struggle for leadership and as one leader emerged the organization continued to fail. The Palestinians launched the First Intifada in 1987 which was an uprising against Israel because after much propaganda, the Palestinians were convinced that they had their land stolen from them by Israel. The First Intifada had military confrontations and violent protests. This caused Israel to be in a danger zone again against the Arab League.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**The Oslo Peace Accords**  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> Beginning in 1992, secret talks resulted in the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993. Due to significant protesting, the Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, calls for Palestinian self rule. After the formal signing of the peace accords, self-rule is scheduled to begin in the West Bank town of Jericho. After initial success, the peace plan stalls because Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated by an enemy of Palestinian self rule. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: center;">**Peace Slips Away: The Conflict Intensifies** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: left;"> The Oslo Peace accords start losing their affect, the peace is slipping away and there is still war going on. The steps to revive peace plan fail leaving hostilities grow in numbers. In 2000, a second problem was arose, a suicide bomber attacks on the civilians of Israel killing them. Israel responds with a greater armed force, to deal with Arafat. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: center;">**Working Toward a Solution**

Palestinians elect a new prime minister, Muhmoud Abbas, to negotiate with Israel in 2003. June 4, 2003 President Bush, Israel Prime Minister Sharon and Palestine Prime Minister Abbas, met in Aqaba, Jordan, to announce Palestine a State. The P.L.O. and Israel leaders agree to explore new U.S. backed peace plan. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 1pt;">Eli <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: center;">**Current State﻿**  <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt; text-align: center;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">The current state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a stand still. Neither side will pull troops out of occupied areas inside each others' countries. Many Arab nations have condemned the creation of Israel from the start and no clear conflict resolution is found as of yet. Although radical groups from both sides refuse to give up land they believe is truly theirs. Both leaders of Israel and Palestine agreed to end the uprising called the Al Aqsa Intifada. In the future, both countries hpe to end the conflicts between their countries. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 15pt;">**Citations** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;">"The Cold War: Third World Woes." //Ame//﻿//rican Decades//. Ed. Judith S. Baughman, et al. Vol. 9: 1980-1989. Detroit: Gale, 2001. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 3 May. 2011.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> KANGAS, ROGER. "Afghanistan, Relations with." //Encyclopedia of Russian History//. Ed. James R. Millar. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. 13-14. //Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 4 May. 2011.

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> "Iran." //Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations Online//. Ed. Timothy L. Gall and Jeneen M. Hobby. Detroit: Gale, 2009. //Gale Student Resources In Context//. Web. 11 May 2011. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; text-align: center;"> <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Beck, Roger B., Linda Black, Larry S. Krieger, Phillip C. Naylor, and Dahia Ibo Shabaka. //Modern World History: Patterns of Interaction//. McDougal Littel. Print. "Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)." //Jewish Virtual Library - Homepage//. Web. 12 May 2011. < http://www. jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ jsource/Terrorism/plo.html >.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Cold War Conflicts in Iran." //GaleGroup.com//. Web. 12 May 2011. < http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ ReferenceDetailsWindow? displayGroupName=Reference >.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Iran's Economy." //Iranian Trade Association//. Web. 12 May 2011. < http://www.iraniantrade.org/ doinbiz/econ.asp >.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"Mohammad Reza Pahlavi." //FactsonFile.com//. Web. 11 May 2011.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">NewsHour, Online. "The Online NewsHour: Israel-Palestinian Conflict | Peace Efforts | Oslo Accord | PBS." //PBS: Public Broadcasting Service//. Web. 12 May 2011. < http://www.pbs.org/newshour/ indepth_coverage/middle_east/ conflict/peaceefforts3.html >. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">"Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)." GlobalSecurity.org - ReliableSecurity Information. Global Security, 27 Apr. 2005. Web.11 May 2011. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/iran-iraq.htm>. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">"PA, Hamas Tensions Grow - Israel News, Ynetnews."Israel News: Ynetnews. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3138515,00.html>. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">"The PLO’s Desperate Defenders." Big Peace | Big Peace. Web.11 May 2011. <http://bigpeace.com/cglick/2011/05/08/the-plos-desperate-defenders/>. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">"The United Nations and Israel." Jewish Virtual Library- Homepage. Web. 11 May 2011. <http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/UN/israel_un.html>. <span style="border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 36px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Superpower Cold War: Did the Superpowers Inflame Regional Conflict in the Middle East during the Cold War?" // History in Dispute //. Ed. David W. Lesch. Vol. 15: The Middle East Since 1945: Second Series. Detroit: St. James Press, 2004. 252-259. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 1 May. 2011.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Middle East: Did the Soviet Union Pose a Major Threat to the Middle East During the Cold War?" // History in Dispute //. Ed. Dennis Showalter and Paul du Quenoy. Vol. 6: The Cold War: Second Series. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. 160-167. // Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 1 May. 2011.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> "Suez Crisis." // Europe Since 1914: Encyclopedia of the Age of War and Reconstruction // <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 12pt;">. Ed. John Merriman and Jay Winter. Vol. 4. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006. 2472-2475.//Gale Virtual Reference Library//. Web. 1 May. 2011.  <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 23px;">"The Future of the Middle East Conflict." //<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Middle East Conflict Reference Library //. Ed. Sara Pendergast, Ralph G. Zerbonia, and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2006. 260-267. //<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gale Virtual Reference Library //. Web. 13 May 2011.