Revolutions and Uprisings
In 2011, this wave of protests spread across the Arab world calling for democracy and reforms.
What is the Arab Spring?
This country declared independence in 1948, triggering the first Arab-Israeli war.
What is Israel?
The U.S. launched this military operation in 2003, resulting in the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
What is the Iraq War?
This organization of oil-producing countries was founded in 1960 to coordinate petroleum policies.
What is OPEC?
This city is considered holy to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
What is Jerusalem?
This North African leader was overthrown and killed during Libya’s 2011 uprising.
Who is Muammar Gaddafi?
This agreement ended the 1973 Yom Kippur War and led to disengagement between Egypt and Israel.
What is the Camp David Accords?
This 1991 war was fought after Iraq invaded Kuwait
What is the Gulf War (Operation Death Storm)?
In 1973, Arab countries imposed this on the U.S. and others for supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
What is an oil embargo?
The Kurdish people are primarily spread across these four countries.
What are Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria?
The 1979 revolution in this country overthrew a Western-backed shah and created an Islamic Republic.
What is Iran?
In 1967, Israel launched this pre-emptive war, seizing the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, and Golan Heights.
What is the Six-Day War?
The U.S. has supported this Middle Eastern country with billions in military aid since 1948.
What is Israel?
The discovery of oil in this Middle Eastern country in the 1930s transformed its economy and global relevance.
What is Saudi Arabia?
This powerful Islamist group controls parts of Lebanon and has close ties to Iran.
What is Hezbollah?
This Syrian leader’s crackdown on protests led to a brutal civil war that began in 2011.
Who is Bashar al-Assad?
This Palestinian political and militant group was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada.
What is Hamas?
This 1953 CIA-backed coup in Iran overthrew Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.
What is Operation Ajax?
This Gulf state has one of the highest GDPs per capita and has diversified into finance and aviation.
What is the United Arab Emirates (UAE)?
This canal, nationalized in 1956, is a key shipping route between Europe and Asia.
What is the Suez Canal?
This country experienced a 2011 revolution but returned to military rule after a 2013 coup.
What is Egypt?
This 1993 peace process attempted to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through mutual recognition.
What are the Oslo Accords?
Russia has supported this government in the Syrian Civil War since 2015.
What is the Assad regime?
The term for the huge government revenues from oil exports that can distort economies and governance.
What is the resource curse?
The 1980-1988 war between these two countries caused over a million casualties.
What are Iran and Iraq?