[lurked_for_a_decade]

Although it was not my major in college I took as many history classes as possible because I find history stranger/greater than fiction. After reading this thread I think people should do a little more background reading before they go off with their opinions. The situation is far more complex and muddled than the simplistic explanations that I've seen here.

Dr. Ben Carson's plans are no better or worse than most other peoples opinions that I've seen discussed for the last 33 years since I graduated from college.

The following references are from Wikepedia, so take them for what they're worth but the main historical events are covered in these references and they point to many others that are a good starting point for a history of what has transpired in the middles east since about 1896.

You can go back further than that if you like but the main events in dispute today have their origins in Pre WW I Germany under the Kaiser and in the Ottoman Empire and the assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand which kicked of WW I. Prior to the 1920's their was no Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq etc. except to the extent that they were territories of the Ottoman (ie Turkish ) empire that was defeated in WW I after Centuries of Ottoman rule through out most of the middle east. There was a mix of both uraban and rural( ie Nomadic ) people involved and a large migration of Jews from around the world to "Palestine/Israel" depending upon who you're arguing with!

The confluence of all these events created todays powder keg! A great film about this is of course "Lawrence of Arabia" starring Peter O'toole.

Lawrence of Arabia

The arguments in the middle east pretty much stem from agreements and disagreements about the accuracy of the following ( and many others ) references!

Sykes-Picot Agreement
Chruchill White Paper
The Balfour Declaration
The British Mandate

I studied the following text in College along with several other books for a year and a half.

The Middle East in World Affairs

As usual, "The Devil is in the Details" and we live by 30 second sound bites!

There will be a short quiz on Monday! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Lurked

[lurked_for_a_decade]

Regarding my post earlier. I neither endorse nor agree etc with any of the information in wikepidea regarding the historical accuracy of the information. I merely throw it out there to illustrate how complex and contested the issue is. From my reading over the years I have learned that no one agrees on the details of anything including what day of the week it is! It’s an unbelievable mess.