Post-WWI Settlement in the Middle East Persuasive Essay by Top Papers

The paper looks at the promises of Arab independence made by British foreign policy decision-makers during the First World War. The paper also looks at the post-War settlement in the Middle East and how the conflicting assurances of the Great Powers did not cause any undue strain in the relationship between Great Britain and France, but did cause plenty of discomfiture in the Arab world when it became evident that Arab independence was simply not going to happen. The paper argues that the aforementioned promises did shape the post-war settlement in the sense that, by offering Arabs one thing (and, as it turned out, Jews something else) while delivering something else, ensured that the post-war Middle East would be carved up by a few powerful European countries while Jews and Arabs were forced to live side-by-side with the hopes of neither party realized. The paper also notes that the collapse of the old Ottoman Empire made it more difficult to distance themselves from unpopular rulers. In the final analysis, the paper highlights how promises made during the "fog of war" can easily lead to strained relations later.