For five millennia the Levantine Crescent – the area which today comprises Israel, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan – has been some of the world’s most hotly contested real estate. Phoenicians, Babylonians, Jews, Persians, Assyrians, Turks, Mongols, Arabs, Nabateans, Egyptians, Europeans; all have left their mark on the Near East, and on each other. What we call “the Arab world” is actually a loose and frequently squabbling confederation of various racial, ethnic and religious groups. Utopians have proposed various pan-Arabic or pan-Islamic movements, but deep historical divisions still remain. If the Arab world shares anything at all, it is a deep-seeded loathing for Israel and for its supporters. Israel is the region’s 800-pound gorilla, wealthy, well-armed and Western. Much as Orwell’s 1984 had Goldstein and the “Five Minutes’ Hate,” the Arab world has Zionism and the State of Israel. Many regional leaders use Israel as an excuse to crack down on internal dissent, or as a distraction for their angry, underemployed youths. (This has become less popular after September 11 and the ensuing public relations nightmare for Saudi Arabia). The lines drawn on a 1948 map to prevent bloodshed have only exacerbated tensions. In keeping with its history, the region’s borders remain disputed. Syria has claimed the Golan Heights and Lebanon the Shebaa Farms region: both have served as flashpoints in the continuing battles between the IDF and Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border. Before the 1967 Six-Day War the West Bank was ruled by Jordan; Jordan’s present leadership does not wish to be involved in the day-to-day governance of the Territories and has expressly disclaimed any interest therein. It is likely that the borders will be shifting again in the near future, as Israel, Syria and Lebanon veer ever closer to open warfare. Each of these areas could be seen as a microcosm of the Middle East as a whole: disparate groups of people brought together by circumstance and forced to live in close proximity. Understanding their internal conflicts can help us to understand their foreign policy, and to predict some of their future actions.
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