The Post Ottoman Syndrome
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The Post-Ottoman Syndrome: A Never-Ending Problem
In the novel War and Peace In the Middle East, author Avi Shlaim argues that Arab nations have been unable to escape the post-Ottoman syndrome. In particular he describes how the various powers inside and outside the region have failed to produce peace. While some of Shlaims arguments hinder the message, I agree with his overall thesis that the Middle East problems were caused and prolonged by the failure of both powers and superpowers to take into account the regional interests of the local states.
The story begins by Shlaim breaking down the conflict into four periods: the Ottoman, the imperial (British/French), the Cold War (US/USSR), and American (present day). He then traces how these foreign powers have shaped the region and intruded in the relations among the local states. He argues that the post-Ottoman syndrome refers to the inability of the Middle East countries to achieve peace following the onset of imperialism.
According to Shlaim, the conflict begins during World War 1 when the British made various promises to both Jews and Arabs while simultaneously plotting with the French to divide all the territory into spheres of influence . The British assumed that Palestinians and Jews could leave peaceably in a single state, but Britains obligation to the Jews could only be met at the expense of the Arab majority. The
British carved up the territories under their mandate without regard for religious, ethnic, or linguistic composition of their inhabitants. The British installed rulers who lacked legitimacy from the very start, which basically set the stage for the series of violent convulsions that followed.
The writing of the Balfour Declaration in 1917 served as a catalyst in the violence that has hampered the region ever since. The document is very significant because it gave Jews the authority they needed from the British authorities to colonize Palestine. In 1948, the Jews proclaimed their own state and in the ensuing Arab-Israeli war, extended their borders beyond the UN recommended lines. Jordan annexed the West Bank, and the Palestinians lost their homeland. “It was a year of Jewish triumph and Palestinian tragedy.” (pg. 23) Although America played a peripheral role in the formation of the state of Israel, the Arabs see “America as Israels cosponsor, and this perception is the source of a deep and abiding hostility and mistrust.” (pg. 26)
The story continues with the Cold War era in the Middle East that saw the Americans and Soviet Union as dominant powers in Middle East politics. The U.S. had four basic interests in the Middle East: contain Soviet influence and expansion, maintain access to oil, curb Arab radicalism, and maintain commitment to Israel. The American policy could be categorized as pro-Israel globalism and more evenhanded regionalism.
This policy led to a belief that the U.S. had aligned with the Israelis and causing friction in American and Middle East relations. “The military prowess Israel demonstrated in the Six-Day War helped transform the unequal U.S.-Israel relationship into a strategic partnership.” (pg. 45)
The late 70s and 80s brought a new period to the Cold War era. “President Carter saw the Camp David accords as the first step in a process that would lead to a comprehensive peace between Israel and all its neighbors.” The Camp David Accords were supposed to be a turning point in quelling the violence between the various political groups in the Middle East but the wording of the Camp David Accords left some issues extremely vague. For example, “Israel Prime Minister Begin was convinced that in return for relinquishing Sinai he had secured Israels right
to retain the West Bank and Gaza.” (pg. 52) This was another case of the imperialist powers failure to take into effect the local differences in ideology which caused the Camp David Accords to be irrelevant. A similar case occurred in Lebanon when, “America seriously underestimated the risks of military intervention in Lebanon
and the violent opposition it was bound to provoke from different groups.” (pg. 56) Reagans decision to withdraw from Lebanon following this revelation dealt a terrible blow to Americas prestige in the Arab World.
The next region to be engulfed in conflict was the Persian Gulf. Violence in the Persian Gulf arose from Cold War tensions as the Soviets supplied the Iraqis with weapons and arms. To combat and contain this Communist threat, the US supplied Iran with