Ollie Richardson — Partitions, Coups, and Colonies: A Timeline for the Middle-East

Backgrounder on colonialism and the Middle East. It' difficult to understand the present situation without knowing the history of the region, the major players, and the stakes of the game. This would be of minor interest but for the oil and gas resources in abundance there, which gives the region not only economic interest but also military. Militaries run on oil, and the US is military is the largest single consumer of oil globally, along with global maritime transport. Ships and aircraft guzzle oil. So this has direct impact on control of the seas and air. For example, the British empire rested on control of the seas, and the American "empire" on control of the seas and air. As a result the region plays a major part in the chessboard of the Great Game of geopolitics and geostrategy.

While not a definite list, the aim of the timeline is to focus on the countries that are still heavily involved in conflicts in the 21st century. These include: Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, and other nations such as Algeria and Tunisia (peripheral to Libya). The timeline excludes countries in the gulf and most of Africa, as they have shown to be merely assets of Western intelligence, usually with western-friendly monarchies or despotic regimes. The aforementioned countries in and around the Levant have sincerely tried to retain sovereignty and independence, but seem to be consistently thwarted in these attempts by Anglo-Atlanticist nations and their proxy forces.

Snake pit.

Fort Russ
Partitions, Coups, and Colonies: A Timeline for the Middle-East
Ollie Richardson for Fort Russ