MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT MADE EASY... MAYBE. (part 2/3)

In this, part 2 of my king-sized explanation about the Middel East conflict, I'll adress (in brief) the key elements. This is intended as a 'beginers guide' of sorts, and so will refrain from in-depth explations on politics and history...

THE REGIMES

Al Qaeda; translates roughly as ‘The Base’, Al Qaeda is a global Islamist terrorist organisation founded by Osama Bin Laden (between 1988 and 1989, origins traceable to the Soviet War). It calls for a global Jihad and a strict interpretation of Sharia Law (characterised by religious intolerance and the oppression of women’s rights).

 

NATO; stands for; North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. It’s a collective of different countries across the globe, of which America and Britain are both a part of, which steps into foreign conflicts in order to defend the innocent.

 

Taliban; an Islamic fundamentalist militant movement. It ruled large parts of Afghanistan and its capital, Kabul, as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until October 2001. It gained diplomatic recognition from three states: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The Taliban were originally assembled and financed by the Pakistani military as a covert way of attacking their enemies.

 

Note 1; while the Taliban and Al Qaeda do have some significant ties, they are NOT the same organisation, and have separate goals.

Note 2; A 15 year old girl was recently shot in the head while campaigning for women's rights against Sharia Law. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19908409

 

THE LEADERS

The following is a list of the most important and influential figures, past and present, in the Middle Eastern conflict.

Barak Obama; current American President.

 

David Cameron & Nick Clegg; current joint-leaders of Great Britain, both from different political parties but serving together as a ‘coalition’.

George W Bush; the previous American President, was in power when America declared ‘war on terror’.

Osama Bin Laden; founding leader of Al Qaeda (now deceased, killed during an American raid).Osama actually started his career as a top-agent for the American CIA, before becoming motivated by his belief that  American foreign policy oppressed, killed, or otherwise harmed Muslims in the Middle East. Osama was the mastermind responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Centre, along with numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets.

Saddam Hussein; former president of Iraq (now deceased, executed for war crimes), against whom America and Great Britain later went to war- suspecting him of affiliation with Osama Bin Laden and of stockpiling WMDs (weapons of mass destruction).  

 

 

Tony Blair; previous Prime Minister of Great Britain, was in power when America first declared ‘war on terror’.

 

Note 3; evidence now proves there was never a "collaborative relationship" between Iraq and Al Qaeda, and nor did Saddam Hussein actually possess any WMDs. 

Note 4; despite ordering the invasion and looting of neighbouring Kuwait in 1990 (leading to his defeat in the first Golf War by NATO forces), Saddam was not stripped of his rule, even though he was widely condemned for the brutality of his dictatorship

 

THE PLACES

Afghanistan; a region of the Middle East, and base of operations for the Taliban.

America

Britain

Iraq; a region of the Middle East, ruled over by the dictator Saddam Hussein.

Pakistan; although this country is chiefly responsible for financing and initially training Al Qaeda, Pakistan cut its associations with the terrorist group after their attack on the World Trade centre to avoid the oncoming wrath of America.

Saudi Arabia; One of the largest regions in the Middle East, it also has the world's second largest oil reserves which are concentrated largely in the Eastern Province. Oil accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue.

 

 

Note 4; since the end of WW2, Britain and America entered into (what politicians are referring to as) a “Special Relationship”. This essentially means that whenever one country enters into a war, the other must offer its full support.