World War I in the Middle East: Roots of Contemporary Conflict

Although World War I occurred a century ago, its effects are still evident in the Middle East today. The war left memories of suffering and brought about new political realities. The Ottoman Empire ended, and new states were created, yet the peace settlements left many Middle Eastern people dissatisfied. The post-war treaties left millions of Kurds without a country, divided Arab lands into various British and French mandates, and pitted Turks against Greeks, Turks against Armenians, Palestinians against Jews. This presentation looks at the legacy of World War I in the Middle East and the Great War’s impact on recent conflicts in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Israel/Palestine.

Lisa Adeli is the Director of Educational Outreach at the University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies – as well as a part-time teacher at Cholla High School. She has a PhD in History, specializing in modern Balkan history and minoring in Middle Eastern history. She is a teacher fellow with the National World War I Museum and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and a volunteer with the Educators’ Institute for Human Rights. She has participated in educators’ programs to Armenia, Turkey/Balkans, Bosnia, Poland, and the West Bank. In 2012, she received the National Council for the Social Studies’ award for Global Education.