Summarize the experience of British and French influence and control in Southwest Asia and North Africa.

What will be an ideal response?


Great Britain gained influence in the region before 1900, initially through the development of the Suez Canal in the late 1800s. It extended influence during this time by establishing a series of protectorates in the region?Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Aden (Southern Yemen). More control was extended after the defeat of the Turks in WWI. The British promised an Arab state following the expulsion of the Turks but instead carved up the territory for direct control (with the French). At this time, the British did grant the Arabian Peninsula to the powerful Saud Royal Family, creating Saudi Arabia. Its influence continued until 1947 when it released the territory of Palestine by UN mandate to become the modern state of Israel. Britain and France signed the Sykes-Picot Agreement during WWI which carved out British and French spheres of influence in the Middle East. France gained control over what is now Syria and Lebanon. Many of the geopolitical problems found today in both Syria and Iraq can be traced back to the grouping of hostile sectarian Sunni and Shi'ite groups within the various British and French colonies of the region.

Environmental & Atmospheric Sciences

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