A (Very) Brief History of the Middle East Part 12

Continuing our journey through the Middle East…

Syria: Like a good portion of the Middle East, Syria’s history goes back to the Bible (we all remember Paul and the Road to Damascus). For my purposes, I’ll once again start with the fall of the Ottoman Empire following WWI.

The Syrians participated with the British in a revolt against the Ottomans in 1917-18, capturing Damascus and other prominent Syrian cities. They went on to form a national government, elect a prime minister and parliament, and declare themselves a free and independent nation. The building blocks of a promising democracy, right? Too bad the League of Nations decided they belonged to France.

In 1920 the French attacked Syria, capturing Damascus and destroying the Syrian resistance. The parliament was dissolved and Syrian was divided into six states.

The Syrians spent the next 10+ years in a continual state of revolt. Eventually tiring of the fight, the French were forced to revise their plans in the region and in 1932 the Syrian Republic was declared. This didn’t necessarily solve the problem, however, as the French appointed mostly pro-French officials to run the country. In 1934 Syrian nationalists called a 60-day strike against the French, and France admitted defeat. A treaty was negotiated which gradually granted Syria independence over a 25 year period.

Unfortunately for the Syrians, their attempts at independence were once again thwarted, this time by the outbreak of WWII. After the surrender of France to Germany in 1940, Syria came under the control of the Vichy government (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vichy_government, The Vichy government ruled France from 1940-44. They were not a legitimate French government, but were puppets of the Nazi regime. To counter the Vichy government the Free French Forces (FFL) were created).

In 1941 Syria was invaded by the Free French Forces and the British, an event opposed by many of the allies because it meant that Frenchmen would be fighting Frenchmen, pitting Vichy forces against the FFL and raising the risk of a French civil war. In spite of this possibility, the FFL and the British were able to capture Syria from the Vichy government, the parliament was reinstated, and in 1944 an independence treaty was signed by Syrian and French leaders.

We already know the role of Syria in the 1948 Arab Israeli war, so let’s skip over that and move to the first of a series of coup d’etats that ravaged the country’s stability. The first took place in 1949 by General Husni al-Zaim, backed by the French, British, and the CIA. Al-Zaim promised to back any American pact in the Middle East in exchange for American support in Syria. Less than a year later al-Zaim was overthrown by Colonel Sami al-Hinnawi and was executed. Six months after that another coup was led by Colonel Adib al-Shishakli, who made opposing political parties and news sources illegal. Not surprisingly he won the presidency with 99.8% of the votes (who else did .2% of the population voted for?). Al-Shishakli was himself overthrown in 1954, and the government (president, parliament, cabinet) that existed prior to his reign was reinstated.

By 1957 the Syrian Communist Party had taken control of the country and allied itself with Egypt and the Soviet Union. In 1958 Syrian and Egypt agreed to merge into one country, the United Arab Republic (UAR), with Egyptian president Nasser as the overarching leader. Nasser went on to dissolve the Syrian government. This lasted until 1961, when a group of army officers seized power and declared Syria once again independent. In 1963 the Ba’ath party took over and following the Six-Day war (in which Egypt, Jordan and Syria attacked Israeli), Ba’ath party leader Hafez al-Assad sought to quickly consolidate power, ensuring that Ba’ath officials held the majority of government posts.

In the following years Syria was involved in ongoing disputes with Israel, and participated in the Lebanese Civil War. They sided with Iran during the Iran-Iraq War, alienating themselves from many of their neighbors. They were a part of the U.S lead coalition against Iraq in the Gulf War, even participating in the Middle East Peace Conference in 1991 and engaging in direct peace talks with Israel (these negotiations failed).

Al-Assad died in 2000 and the country has since seen increased liberalization with lifts on internet and mobile phone bans and the reduced role of the secret police. Recent allegations have been made that Syria funds the Hezbollah militants and provides safe haven for Palestinian extremists.

United Arab Emirates: The United Arab Emirates are comprised of seven Emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm al-Quwain.

During the 18th and 19th centuries the region became know as the “Pirate Coast” due to groups of raiders harassing foreign shipping. As a result the British staged a series of attacks, eventually leading to a peace treaty signed in 1853 under which the sheiks in the region agreed to maritime truce while the British agreed to protect their kingdoms.

In 1892, fearing attacks from ambitious European nations, the sheiks signed a new treaty with Britain. Under the new treaty the sheiks would not enter into relationships with any foreign government without British consent and the British would protect the sheikdoms from attack. The region became, essentially, a British protectorate. This lasted for 80 years.

In 1971 the UK decided to end the treaty with the sheiks for the same reasons they severed ties with Kuwait, (See A (Very) Brief History of the Middle East Part 9), including international pressures and the high cost of maintaining armies abroad. The sheikdoms became fully independent and entered into a union known as the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirates have remained uninvolved in most regional affairs. They participated in the coalition during the Gulf War, but otherwise their activity in conflicts has been nonexistent. Due to incredible economic prosperity stemming from large oil reserves they can afford to remain indifferent towards regional disputes.

Perhaps the Emirates greatest claim to fame is the city of Dubai, a booming coastal tourist haven boasting such extravagances as man-made islands (including “The World”) and an indoor ski hill.


We’re so close I can taste it. Two more countries in the Middle East and it’ll be time to wrap things up. Bonus: Anyone who tells me what Monday's countries are will recieve a special prize! (Somebody comment please.) (That’s me being desperate.)

Thanks for reading.