How did President Wilson's principle of self-determination affect the Middle East?

Answer 1

The principle of self-determination was applied in a modified form to the Middle East. While all of the Allied countries were willing to concede that the peoples of Eastern Europe, like the Poles, Czechoslovaks, Baltic Statespeople, and Jugoslavs were capable of self-governance, almost none believed that Middle Easterners were similarly capable. As a result, the British and French were given Mandates of control in the Middle East. However, what made a mandate distinct from a colony or territory was the idea that the locals should be trained in the methods of governance in order to accelerate local self-determination. This new focus of how to manage the imperial territory, which was not always adhered to, was a direct result of Wilsonian self-determination principles.