From 15608a3f724ecb439e18e7307b5b63a5919f6ad3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Youwen Wu Date: Sat, 28 Sep 2024 00:18:15 -0700 Subject: [PATCH] mes-45: add week 1 notes --- notes/2024/mes-45/week-1.md | 44 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 44 insertions(+) create mode 100644 notes/2024/mes-45/week-1.md diff --git a/notes/2024/mes-45/week-1.md b/notes/2024/mes-45/week-1.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..adb056b --- /dev/null +++ b/notes/2024/mes-45/week-1.md @@ -0,0 +1,44 @@ +# Week 1 + +## Goldschmidt & Marashi Reading + +- What is "middle east"? + - Nile Valley to Muslim lands of Central Asia +- Geography: hot + dry, rainfall but small + - Many farming villages found, however + - Polar ice caps retreated, rainfall diminished. People move to Nile, Tigris, + Euphrates, etc. +- Middle East more accessible than US, China, etc. +- Not endowed w/ nature; no grassy plains, scarce drinking water +- Meager mineral deposits +- Huge oil reserves (more than half of world's), but concentrated in few + countries: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Iraq, UAE +- Exploitation started in 20th century +- Mountains shield minorities in countries (eg. Lebanon, Yemen, Iran) while + invasions bring new races + culture into Middle East, resulting in cultural + "mosaic" - many physical characteristics, belief systems, languages, cultures +- $\frac{9}{10}$ of ME is muslim, half / half speak Arabic / (Turkish + + Persian) +- "Mosaic" starts to crumble - modern information age (schooling, TV, etc) lead + to universal culture (mostly) among young +- Cultural/religious difference persist -> conflicts. Muslims felt unequal to + Christians -> Lebanon civil wars +- Iraq -> Suni vs. Shi'a Muslims +- Israel -> 1.7 million Arabs in borders +- Gaza Strip -> occupied between 1967 -> 2005, invaded 2006, 2009, 2014, + contains 1.8 million Arabs. Jews (in Israel) divided between European or Asian + and African origin (Ashkenazim vs. Mizrachim / Orientals). +- Interaction between humans + geography important +- Main causes of ME conflict + 1. Incomplete transfer from religious / theological government to secular + government + 2. Resulting belief that governments are illegitimate, not willingly obeyed + 3. Quest for dignity + freedom by people determined to not lose independence + (again) + 4. Involvement of outside gov't without regard for the people in ME + 5. Growing concentration of destructive weapons in volatile countries + 6. Scarcity of / demand for food, water, fossil fuels + 7. Overpopulation and widening inequality (wealth gap) + 8. Failure to resolve Palestine-Israel + 9. Sectarian / Ethnic tensions + 10. Palestinian, Iraqi, Syrian, Yemeni refuges. Internal displacement.