"A Concise History of the Middle East"

Paper Summary:

This paper answers five questions based on Goldschmidt's history of the Middle East. The author, for example, when asked --- "How do you square the Muslim notion that they are governed by God (Allah), not man, with the military nature of virtually all of the Middle Eastern states?" --- answered that many Muslims believe Allah endorses their self-preservation at all costs; thus, their warlike nature is endorsed by their religious beliefs, and by necessity, and they continue in fighting today. The author concludes that as long as the Arab nations cannot accept one another and cannot accept the influence of other nations, Muslim or not, there will be continued strife in the area.

From the Paper:

"Attempted reforms from the west were unsuccessful in the Ottoman and Persian empires for a variety of reasons. In the Ottoman Empire, reformers such as Russia were not the best choices to choose as allies. Russia had fought the Ottomans often, and when the Empire turned to Russia as a European protector, the Russian motives were certainly not in the Ottoman interests. The Ottoman pact with Russia also alienated other European countries that might have been better influences on Ottoman reforms. As the author notes, "Unfortunately, Britain's insistence on upholding Ottoman territorial integrity was on a collision course with Russia's attempt to win more influence in the Balkans. The crash was the Crimean War of 1853-1856" (Goldschmidt 152). There also was another vital influence from the European powers which doomed western reform. A proclamation was issued which guaranteed all Ottoman subjects equality; the Muslims did not want the Jews and Christians to share the same rights and status, and so the Muslims revolted. The reforms of the Ottoman Empire failed mostly because they chose the wrong ally, and the Europeans did not understand the culture and beliefs of the Muslim race, and so they tried to issue reforms that could not survive in the Muslim culture. "

More papers on "A Concise History of the Middle East":

• Book Review # 75174 : "The Middle East"
• Book Review # 114697 : "The New Concise History of the Crusades"
• Analytical Essay # 16736 : "A Scandalous History of the Roman Emperors"

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