The Modern Middle East: From Oil Discovery to Geopolitical Conflict

1. The Discovery of Oil and U.S. Entry into the Middle East (1930s–1940s)

A California oil company strikes oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938, prompting the U.S. to establish a significant military and economic presence in the region. American workers and families build 'little Americas' with modern amenities, shocking the deeply religious Saudi population. The U.S. negotiates permission to build a military base, with Saudis stipulating that the American flag cannot be planted on their soil. The construction company that builds the base and oil city is owned by Mohammed bin Laden, who has 54 children, including a son named Osama.

2. The Cold War and Strategic Alliances (1950s–1960s)

As the Soviet Union enters the Middle East promoting communism, the U.S. intensifies its involvement. The U.S. and Britain overthrow Iran's democratically-elected leader to install a dictator more friendly to Western interests. The U.S. also heavily funds and arms Israel to counter Soviet influence and support Arab neighbors, creating a backlash from oil-producing nations who view this as betrayal.

3. Osama bin Laden's Rise and the Soviet-Afghan War (1970s–1980s)

Osama bin Laden, growing up amid Western military presence in Saudi Arabia, becomes increasingly uncomfortable with his government's alliance with the U.S. He travels to Afghanistan to fight Soviet invaders, where the U.S. secretly supplies him and other mujahideen fighters with weapons and money. After the Soviet withdrawal, bin Laden returns to Saudi Arabia and founds Al-Qaeda, dedicated to violently opposing superpower intervention in the Middle East. When Iraq invades Kuwait and Osama offers to defend Saudi Arabia with his fighters, the Saudis reject him in favor of American military power.

4. The Iran-Iraq War and Global Complicity (1980–1988)

Iraq invades Iran in 1980, sparking an eight-year war that becomes a proxy battlefield for global powers. The U.S. and Soviet Union both supply Iraq; France provides weapons; China arms Iran. The war features trench warfare, chemical weapons, and human wave attacks reminiscent of World War I. Saddam uses chemical weapons against both Iranian forces and Kurdish minorities, killing thousands of civilians. Despite knowing about these war crimes, the U.S. provides intelligence and diplomatic support to Iraq, showing willingness to overlook atrocities for strategic advantage. The war ends in 1988 with unchanged borders but over a million dead.

5. The Gulf War and Bin Laden's Rejection (1990–1991)

When Saddam invades Kuwait, the U.S. sends Dick Cheney to Saudi Arabia and launches Operation Desert Storm with overwhelming military force, defeating Iraq in weeks. This victory cements the U.S.-Saudi bromance but enrages Osama bin Laden, who sees American military bases permanently establish themselves in the Middle East. Bin Laden escalates his attacks against the U.S., eventually planning the September 11 attacks.

6. Manufactured Intelligence and the Invasion of Iraq (2001–2003)

After 9/11, the Bush administration decides to invade Iraq despite no connection to the attacks. Leaked documents (Downing Street Memo) reveal that Bush officials predetermined the invasion and then 'fixed intelligence' to justify it. They fabricate links between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, exaggerate chemical and biological weapons claims, and misrepresent UN weapons inspections. Colin Powell presents false evidence at the UN; Congress votes for war based on this flawed intelligence. UN inspectors find no WMDs, but the U.S. invades anyway, resulting in an estimated 500,000 deaths.

7. The Kurds: Pawns in Regional Geopolitics

The Kurds, split across Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria after post-WWI border-drawing, have fought for independence and autonomy for a century. They are repeatedly weaponized by foreign powers—the U.S., Soviet Union, Syria, Iran, and Iraq—only to be abandoned when no longer useful. The U.S. calls on Iraqi Kurds to overthrow Saddam, then provides no support. The U.S. arms Syrian Kurds to fight ISIS, then withdraws, allowing Turkey to attack them with American-made weapons. Today, the Kurds remain fragmented and oppressed across the region.

8. Israel, Palestine, and the Strategy of Territorial Fragmentation

After World War II and the Holocaust, the UN partitions Palestine into Jewish and Arab states. Israel is established in 1948 but expels over 700,000 Palestinian Arabs. Following the 1967 war, Israel occupies the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Rather than granting Palestinian independence, Israel fragments Palestinian land with roads, checkpoints, walls, and settlements—an illegal occupation meant to maintain Israeli security dominance. Palestinians respond with uprisings (Intifadas), but Israeli military force and territorial control suppress resistance, perpetuating cycles of violence.

9. The Role of Intelligence and Media Manipulation

Throughout these conflicts, governments use fabricated or exaggerated intelligence to justify military actions to the public and international community. The Bush administration's Iraq invasion case exemplifies how selective facts and groupthink—aided by media repetition—can lead entire nations into unjust wars. Ground News and media literacy become essential tools to detect and counter these narratives.

10. Long-Term Consequences and Ongoing Instability

Decades of U.S. military intervention, cold war proxy wars, and support for dictators and occupations have left the Middle East fractured, traumatized, and unstable. The U.S. military presence, once justified by oil needs, has become embedded in foreign policy doctrine despite the shift to alternative energy sources. Regional powers like Iran and Saudi Arabia now wage cold wars through proxies in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon, perpetuating suffering for civilians caught in the crossfire.