At its root, the reason why the Middle East is important to the rest of the world, and the West in particular, is because certain countries (namely France, England, and the U.S.) have historically used the region to promote their own national interests and geopolitical agendas. According to Ifran Ahed in his article about the Categorical Revolution, western power elites use the term “Middle East” not to refer to the diverse and rich culture the region offers, but to “a land or area of multiple resources and strategic interests,” particularly those of economic value. One of these interests is the Middle East’s vast oil deposits, especially those in Saudi Arabia, a region which Robert W. Stookey refers to as having “possession of one-fourth of the non-communist world’s oil reserves.”
Europe’s quest for land and power has always been a motivating factor in its foreign relations, but finding land that has valuable resources is even more desirable. Recognizing the importance of oil after WWI, British agents helped the Arabs revolt, hoping to gain control of the region and protect its resources from their current “hostile” powers. However, the promise of independence proved to be untrue as the Middle East was divided into various zones controlled by the British and French forces promptly afterwards. The allies also occupied Turkey and began to spread its control over the land there. This intervention by the French and British was a quest to usurp control over the Middle East’s energy supply, which is just another example of the greedy and exploitative practices of colonialism. With access to this lucrative resource, the oil industry in the U.S. brought in billions of dollars the the West and created some of today’s most powerful corporations on the planet.
It’s also important to note that there are many other reasons why the West has taken interest in the Middle East besides its oil. Back in 1869, Egypt’s water and land was on the forefront of Europe’s mind. The Suez Canal was meant to create the shortest sea route from Europe to Asia, and was seen by the British as a brilliant construction and a vision of progress. However, the 120,000 Egyption lives lost without consequence shows that the “progress” Europe referred to was its own, not Egypt’s.
The European powers have also leveraged their own political agenda through the Middle East. For example, the British have used Afghanistan as no more than the a possession in the “Great Game” between itself and Russia to exercise control over Central Asia and India. In addition, In 1917, the British government issued the Balfour Declaration which established a national homeland for the Jewish people in Palestine in hopes to gain support of Jewish people, even though the region was still technically Ottoman at the time.
Lastly, Europe’s need to fulfill the “white mans burden” is also important to note. Europe has historically intervened in places where it felt like the people weren’t as “democratic” or morally correct as they were, which is exemplified in “The Categorical Revolution” when Ahed says that “the West saw the Middle East as a passive bride crying for the attention of a western man.”
