The Modern Middle East
Learn about the modern Middle East — a region shaped by oil wealth, decolonization, religious politics, and conflicts that have defined global affairs since 1945.
The modern Middle East has been shaped by a convergence of forces: the retreat of European empires, the creation of Israel, the discovery and exploitation of vast oil reserves, the rivalry between secular nationalism and political Islam, and the strategic interests of outside powers. Few regions have been more consequential for global politics or more misunderstood.
The postwar period saw Arab nationalism rise under leaders like Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser, who challenged Western influence and sought pan-Arab unity. But the 1967 Six-Day War's devastating defeat discredited secular nationalism and opened space for Islamist movements. The Iranian Revolution of 1979 created a theocratic state that inspired and alarmed the region in equal measure. The Iran-Iraq War, Gulf Wars, and the post-2003 chaos in Iraq reshaped regional power dynamics.
Oil has been both a blessing and a curse. Petroleum wealth transformed Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and the UAE from desert backwaters into global financial centers, but also entrenched authoritarian governance and created economies vulnerable to price fluctuations. The Arab Spring of 2011 briefly raised hopes for democratic transformation, but most uprisings were crushed or devolved into civil war. The region continues to grapple with questions of governance, development, and identity that have no easy answers.