Answer to Question #137765 in History for Pranav

Question

To what extent can the events of 1979 be seen as a foundational moment for the historical framing of the contemporary Middle East and its relationship with the world? Where would you start in putting that year into perspective and in assessing its legacies four decades later?

Answer 1

In 1979, three major events took place in Middle East history. The start of the Islamic Republic in Iran, the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; these events had a long term consequences in the relationship between the middle east countries and the rest of the world up to now. The disputes and war witnessed in the Middle East concerning the settlement of Jews in Jerusalem, issues to do with territory and America and western confrontation with Islamist terrorism is as a result of those events that took place long time ago.

After the events of 1979, things changed immediately in the Middle East. The entire relationship between religion and politics in the Muslim world changed. Hostility from the middle east towards the west, emerged dues to strong western foreign policies. For several decades, these events have been the driving force of instability and violence which has seen relationship in the world towards the Middle East deteriorate and many lives lost due to constant war.