What are the common factors behind ongoing middle east conflicts?

Answer 1

a common factor behind the ongoing conflict in Middle East is that this area produces almost half the world's supply of oil. this control over the world's oil gives the gulf states immense power but also makes them potential targets of developed countries that would wish to control energy sources. FROM LITTLE angel

There are many other reasons for Middle East Conflicts beyond petroleum.

1) National Cultural Differences: Each Middle Eastern Country has a different ethnic, religious, and tribal makeup. President Bourghiba of Tunisia proposed a union with Muammar Qaddafi of Libya, but his own people made it clear that they were not interested. The reason for this was that Tunisia was (and still is) the most progressive state in the Arab World, embracing such concepts as "national identity", "freedom of religion", near-complete "freedom of speech", and a Western-Style Government. Libya was (and still is) one of the most conservative Arab States outside of the Arabian Peninsula. Its people were very tribal with numerous militias sprinkled across the country and a system of bribes and counter-bribes used to keep the tribes from breaking out in revolution.

2) Religious Incitement: In many religious institutions across the Middle East, especially mosques, messages of tolerance and acceptance of people of other faiths are few and far between. The message spread is one of hatred and a desire to prevent reconciliation. In addition, television in Islamic countries tends to be strongly biased against Jews and Israel, uniting the two in such shows as Farfur by Hamas. Finally, many Middle Easterners are strongly discouraged from reading and discovering other points of view in the world, preventing them from having an honest understanding of what the members of other faiths actually believe and want. The religious language of this engagement also prevents moderation since the demagogues who support these views can claim that their knowledge of their opponents' evil comes directly from God and is therefore inscrutable.

3) Regional Disunity: Middle Easterners have gone to war with each other at numerous times and in numerous places. Nearly every border in the Middle East has played host to a military engagement of some type. The Middle East has never had anything even close to the European Union or the Schengen Border Agreement. (The Arab League is much more like the United Nations and has no superstate components.) Although Arabs, as individuals, may feel connected across borders, like those between Morocco and Algeria or those between Syria and Lebanon or those between Egypt, Sudan, and Libya, their governments do not. Each side honors its fallen by engaging in retaliatory killings and attacks. In addition, the retaliation is usually on a larger scale than the offense. (I.e. one death results in ten retaliatory deaths etc.)

4) Regional Power Struggles: Turkey, Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt are all powerful region players that each have a unique interest and perspective. As a result, they often fight proxy wars against each other (especially Iran and Israel) in order to gain dominance in other regions of the Middle East or control commercial and financial sectors. Unlike most other regions in the word which are either have one or two competing powers, having five distinct powerful players allows for a lot position renegotiating and power flux.

5) Hallowed Lands: The Jews consider the Land of Israel (which is not necessarily all in the borders of the State of Israel) to be a holy piece of land in that God promised it to the Jewish people as an eternal inheritance. Thus, some Jews, especially Religious Zionists see resettlement of the Land of Israel by Jews to be part of God's plan and mandate and therefore do everything in their power to settle it. In addition, it contains specific religious and historical sites such as the Western Wall and the Old City of Jerusalem, the Cave of Machpelah, the Old City of Jaffa, and the Sanctuary of Shiloh among others. Muslims also consider Jerusalem holy because of Mohammed ascending to Heaven on the Buraq over Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Additionally, Muslims have special requirements about treatment of the Great Mosques in Saudi Arabia and throughout the Middle East.

6) Palestinian Exodus & UNRWA: During the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-9 (in which Palestinian militias also participated), many Palestinians were forced out of their homes by Israeli soldiers due to brutal atrocities. In addition, many left because they feared similar outcomes. Also Arab leaders encouraged the exodus, because they believed that they could destroy Israel and safely return all of the Palestinians after the conflict. However, this did not happen and a large number of Palestinians (some estimate four million) are in UNRWA Refugee Camps and there is a large Palestinian Diaspora. They have not forgiven Israel for not allowing them to return after the War. The Arab countries have also been incredibly insensitive to the Palestinians, fighting them in civil wars and denying them civil liberties in the nations they fled to. In many cases, Palestinian Refugees continue to cause domestic problems because they revolt against the appalling conditions in the refugee camps.

Answer 2

There are several common factors in the various conflicts in the Middle East:

1. Sectarianism: Most Middle Easterners identify quite strongly with their ethnoreligious grouping and will fight to defend the interests of those groups.
2. Secularism vs. Islamism: Many of the conflicts in the Middle East have pitted countries and militias that support secular governments against the rising tide of Islamism (which is Fundamentalist Islamic Governance).
3. Proxy Conflicts: Many of the conflicts in the Middle East have become a method for the five major powers in the Middle East (Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Egypt) to counter each others' influence by supporting various militias or paramilitary contests as proxy wars.