The Middle East and the Cold War Paper Example

Question 1: How the Arab-Israeli conflict was shaped by the Cold War

The Cold War is the period following the World War II when an open rivalry developed between the then two world superpowers: the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (USA), as well as those allied to them (Lucas 14). Due to the rivalry, the two powers struggled for economic, ideological and geopolitical supremacy. To accomplish their strategies, the two nations did not engage in military confrontations but used puppet regimes and surrogates (Fawcett 167). Incidentally, the Middle East was a fertile ground for the accomplishment of some of these schemes. This made Middle East countries such as Israeli and the Arab nations be riddled with endless conflicts.

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As the USA and USSR competed for resources and regional influence, the main casualties were evident. The two superpowers engaged in the provocation, backstabbing, and manipulation to undermine internal politics in Israel. Although both the US and USSR supported Israeli in the initial conflict that saw the Israelis defeat the Zionists, and favored an independent Israeli, they were not sincere as they competed for allegiance from the new state with the intention of each establishing their dominance (Shlaim 39). Palestine, on the other hand, was unable to secure any 'superpower' support thus besieging independent Israel. This conflict, coupled with a shift in associations, made the USSR and the US realign and adopt further stances as they opposed each other (Fawcett 199). In the process, the hostility between the Israelis and Arabs was reignited (Fawcett 201). In a nutshell, despite the complexity of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the influence of cold war cannot be overlooked. The conflict was a result of two overambitious superpowers trying to establish themselves in this strategic region in order to secure resources, influence, and supremacy.

Question 2: What happened in 1967 and how it changed Israel

In 1967, an interesting event unfolded and it significantly affected Israel. There was a huge conflict christened the Six-Day War due to the fact that it lasted for only six days. By 1967, both the Egyptian and Syrian armies were already politicized due to populist declarations and connections with the Soviet Union (Fawcett 104). The two nations were also worried about attacks that were allegedly initiated by Jordan. Although Arabs, who were the main settlers in these nations, often talked about nationalism and socialism, they were highly divided (Fawcett 106). Such divisions seem to have culminated in increasing tensions that gave Israeli the advantage of making a successful plot. Apart from the recurrent border conflicts between the Israelis and Arabs, Israeli was spoiling for a big war. The Israelis began by carrying out accurate depictions of the Syrian, Jordanian and Egyptian airbases, in readiness for attack (Shlaim 132). The Israelis succeeded in a bigger way than they had expected. Within no time, Israel had already destroyed the Syrian, Jordanian, and Egyptian air forces thus taking control of the skies (Lucas 19). The rest was a walk over and a huge success for the Israelis.

As a result, in the six days of the war, Israel defeated the Jordanian, Syrian and Egyptian armies thus capturing the Golan Heights, the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza strip, and the West Bank from Syria, Egypt, and Jordan respectively (Fawcett 84). In the process, many Arabs were expelled, killed while others fled to safe places. For the first time in over two thousand years, the Jews got an opportunity to take full control of the Jewish holy places located in Jerusalem. Therefore, apart from the religious conquest, the six-day war was very crucial in establishing Israel as the leading military power in the region. In my opinion, this change was for the worse. This is because although there was the need for a defined powerhouse in the Middle East, it did not bring an end to the struggle. In fact, it laid the foundation for perennial conflicts and political instability in the region.

Question 3: The viewpoints on the War of 1948 and the Nakhba

The 1948 war was one of the most jarring conflicts that riddled the Middle East. The Arab-Israeli war led to the division of the territory into three portions: the Israel State, West bank held by Jordan, and the Gaza Strip held by Egypt (Fawcett 63). Consequently, over 80% of the Arabs who had, for many years, occupied the part that became Israel either fled or they were expelled (Shlaim 101). In some instances, the Arabs who had fled were denied entry into their former homes that now fell under Israeli territory. Their property was mainly transferred to the state after expropriation (Lucas 15). Such treatment made the Arabs and Israelis have divergent viewpoints of this war.

To most Israeli citizens, the war of 1948 was a war of independence while to most Arabs, it was a catastrophe. The Arabs refer to this catastrophe as Nakhba (Shlaim 176). This reference depicts the differing viewpoints of the war. It also portrays the different perceptions of not only the purpose but also the outcome of this war. While the Israelis believed that it was their chance to craft their own nation, the Arabs viewed it as a means of persecuting them since they bore the greatest brunt of the war. About 750,000 of them were displaced or expelled thus turned into refugees (Shlaim 91). Although the bitter neighbors had tried to invade the newly created state of Israel at the end of 1948, they failed (Shlaim 98). However, this failure did not stop the region from perennial upheavals. The Arabs seem to have begun to have a feeling of uneasiness for having been defeated by an inexperienced state. Due to these differing perceptions, the Middle East conflict persisted until a lasting solution had to be found.

References

Fawcett, Louise. International relations of the Middle East. Oxford University Press (2016).

Lucas, Ivor. "The Middle East and the Cold War." Cambridge Review of International Affairs 7.1 (1993): 12-20.

Shlaim, Avi. "War and peace in the Middle East." Revised and Updated) A Concise History. New York (1995).