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The Sykes–Picot Agreement officially known as the Asia Minor Agreement, was a secret 1916 agreement between the United Kingdom and France, to which the Russian Empire assented. The agreement defined their mutually agreed spheres of influence and control in Southwestern Asia. The agreement was based on the premise that the Triple Entente would succeed in defeating the Ottoman Empire during World War I.
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The agreement is seen by many as a turning point in Western and Arab relations. It negated the UK's promises to Arabs made for a national Arab homeland in the area of Greater Syria, in exchange for supporting the British against the Ottoman Empire.
I'd see it as one of many pieces representing European domination and control of the Arab lands and nations in that half-century or so. I don't think you can point to any one of them as "the cause of the middle east conflict."
The difference between this era of paternalism, colonialism and national self-interest is that it dealt with an area thought to be mostly of strategic value but which turned out to have enormous economic power. Otherwise we wouldn't much care about it any more than the African and South American colonial eras/areas.
Interesting, some people trace the middle east conflict back to this secret agreement, effectively reneging on a promise. What do you think?
Sykes Picot agreement and Balfour declarations are failures. Sykes Picot agreement carved up heavily disputed regions of Ottoman Empire. IN these regions of Assyira, Iraq, and Trans Jordan. These areas are divided along resource and natural boundary lines instead of not being marked off by ethnic groups which can cause tension. Lebanon for example is noted for its Greek, Franco-Italian Crusader population who lived peacefully under Mamuluk, and Ottoman regimes. With the creation of Lebanon Greek/Latin Christians would have to coexist with Sunni/Shia Muslims. Syria also has small Shia and Majority Sunni population, while Iraq is Mostly Shia, with large Sunni minority. British gave Trans-Jordan to the Hesamite rulers of Arabia. Due to the power vacuum after the death of Saddam who is a secular individual, Islamists from Shia to Sunni fought hard to take control of Iraq away from the Americans. That power vacuum spilled over to Syria which has a very unpopular leader named Al Assad. Than coupled with the Arab Spring. A bag of bad worms has opened up. Now the Kurds want their own homeland, Sunnis and Shias cant live together in harmony, Christians cant live amongst Muslims. The Sykes Picot agreement should have created states based on their ethnic identities instead of resources and natural boundaries.
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