Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-36655994-20180915202129/@comment-36589449-20180916025239

Well, I'd say in Africa, the vacuum of colonial rule hasn't ended. Poverty and Corruption are widespread(in most African countries) and much of Africa still hasn't modernized. During the '60s,'70s, and'80s, people looked to brutal, corrupt dictators(a lot of them) to lead their country to victory. That caused a lot of problems, like genocide and civil wars(for example, Angola and Mozambique.) Some were right-wing(or facist), others were left-wing(or in short, Soviet communism.) In most of them, peace has been restored, but the other few are still suffering. Apartheid In South Africa was widespread. In 1991 it was abolished.European influences In South Africa were widespread. It's pretty much segregation.

In the middle east, we have to go back to 1914. When the Ottomans joined the Central Powers, it was a mistake. Rebellions and a weak army crumbled them(in spite of their successes at Gallipoli). When the Arabs revolted, they were supported by Britain, who promised them an independent state after the war. But Britain and France secretly made a deal to split the Ottoman lands (for oil.) That decision ruined the Middle East. When the Ottomans were defeated, Britain gained Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq(Iraq eventually became independent in 1932.) France gained Syria and Lebanon. When the Turks revolted against the Ottomans led by Mustafa Kemal and suceeded, it gave hope to countries being bogged down by the Allies(mainly Syria, pay attention to that it becomes important later.)During this time, the Nejd was busy conquering Arabia. In 1941, Iraq refused to let the British use the territory that it owned in Iraq,so Britain declared wwr. Iraq was defeated. After WW2 ended, many of the countries became independent(except for the Yemeni, Omani, and  Trucial States.) In came Russia's influence and there was a Cold War in the Middle East. After many revolts, Israel became independent in 1948. This was a challenge to the Arabs' power, so in 1948, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan invaded. They were repelled (but Jordan controlled Palestine nontheless). Then came the Suez Crisis. In 1967, the Arabs went to war again with the Jews(Israel) and lost really badly.Israel gained the Golan Heights and the Sinai peninsula. In 1967, Yemen was split in two(one of those states was a People's republic.) From the 1950s to 1970s, several times Yemen, Egypt, Syria, and Libya United into a single state that would always collapse within a few years. In 1969 Muammar Gaddafi took power in Libya and was cruel. He forced out all Italians and Jews in the '70s. (Remember when I said that Mustafa Kemals liberation of Turkey caused hope for people?Well, here's where it comes in. ) Hafez-al-AssadHafez-al-Assad took over Syria as a dictator. Just like in Africa, dictators believe they can save their country. Iraq caught on on that. Then the 1979 Iranian revolution and the rise of the "Hitler of the Middle East ". In the '80s Iraq and Iran went to war. Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, then the U.N. pushed Saddam Hussein back. In 2003 Iraq was invaded by a coalition looking to oust the dictator back and suceeded. The Arabs went to war with Israel 2 more times (in 1973 and 1982.) Then came the Lebanese civil war. In 1990, Yemen was united. In 2011, the deposition of the Mubarak regime in Egypt started protests all over Arab states( Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Oman(which became independent in 1970), the UAE, Qatar, bahrain, aand Syria and Yemen. Then comes ISIS and Kurds. The middle East is very unstable as religious conflicts and civil wars plague the land of the Caliphates.