How has Middle East changed since 2001?

Answer 1

Oh shall I count the ways...

1) Afghanistan: Went from being ruled by the Taliban to an American-led resurgence of the Northern Alliance. American troops also evicted Al-Qaeda and supported the new Northern Alliance government. Confrontations with the Taliban operating in Pakistani Waziristan continue.

2) Iraq: Went from being ruled by a relatively stable and malevolent Saddam Hussein who was ousted by American troops in 2003 and executed in 2006. Iraq is now a republic under the control of the Shiites.

3) Iran: Went from being a relatively forward-looking country under the government of President Khatami to the train-wreck regressive government of President Ahmadinejad.

4) Turkey: Went from being a country in which the Army had a strong hold on politics to primarily democratic state, but that democracy is now ruled by one majority party (there are other parties and there is no party suppression, but one party - the AKP is doing phenomenally well). Turkey is becoming more religious, especially in the East.

5) Kurdistan: Between the granting of autonomy in Northern Iraq and the Recognition of their language in Turkey, the Kurds are beginning to have more freedom than imaginable in 2001.

6) Lebanon: On account of the Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon in 2000, Hezbollah consolidated power and eventually kidnapped two Israeli border guards leading to the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah War which destroyed much of Lebanon. Additionally in 2005, the Syrian occupational army (which had controlled the country since 1982) was forced out after the assassination of Rafik Hariri.

7) Syria: There is currently a civil war in this country which had been stable and extremely oppressive for five decades. If you have not noticed the war, it is possible that you are an alien.

8) Palestinian Authority: Starting with the rejection of Tabaa in 2000, the most comprehensive Peace Treaty with the Palestinians in Israeli history, the Palestinian Authority saw the creation of the Separation Fence. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005. Following the elections in 2007, Hamas rose up and overthrew the Palestinian Authority in Gaza creating the first Hamas-controlled region. The violence in this area led to the Israeli incursion into the region called the Gaza War. Gaza is still blockaded.

9) Israel: Politically, the country has shifted more and more to the right-wing, first with the return of Likud in the 2001 re-elections and then with the failure of Kadima to form a coalition in 2008, leading to a Likud-based coalition again. Settlements are increasing in the West Bank. Israel managed to come out relatively unaffected by the Global Meltdown.

10) Egypt: The longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak was overthrown and Islamists have won big in the recent elections. Time will tell just how problematic or beneficial this shift in Egyptian politics will be.

There are numerous other changes, but these are the big ones.