The failure of the UK to maintain control and peace in its Palestinian mandate.

Colonial Legacies: Understanding the Roots of Middle East Conflict

The fall of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of European colonial powers forever changed the Middle East. The Sykes-Picot Agreement, Balfour Declaration, and broken promises to Arab leaders, such as those made in the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence, set the stage for the instability we see today. British and French mandates imposed artificial borders, feeling Arab nationalism, sectarian violence, and a lasting conflict. Learn how colonial decisions from the early 20th century continue to influence modern Middle Eastern geopolitics.