Conflict in the Middle East, 1948–1991 (CIE)

Explore the Arab-Israeli war of 1948–49, sparked by the UN partition, as Israel forms the IDF and faces Arab League forces, Jerusalem battles, Nakba refugees, and 1949 armistices.

Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal in 1956, triggering a covert Israel-Britain-France invasion, while the US and USSR pressure a ceasefire and reshape postwar power in the Middle East.

The six day war of 1967 saw Israel strike Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, capture Sinai, the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, and the West Bank, reshaping Middle East diplomacy.

Egypt and Syria launch a preemptive strike in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to reclaim the Sinai and Golan Heights, triggering a massive airlift and superpower intervention.

Explore how Ben-Gurion, Nasser, Sadat, and Meir drove the Arab-Israeli conflicts from 1948 to 1991, shaping wars, the Suez crisis, and Camp David peace efforts.

Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy advances 1973–79 reconciliation among Israel, Egypt, and Syria, culminating in Camp David accords and the 1979 Washington treaty, with disengagement and limited Palestinian self-government.

Oil drives Middle East politics, from Seven Sisters to OPEC, as national oil companies gain control and the 1973 crisis uses oil as a weapon, reshaping US policy.

Shape U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East through the Cold War lens, balancing Israel alliance and Soviet containment, from Truman and Eisenhower to Camp David.

Examine the Soviet Union's role in the Middle East, from Egypt's postwar alignment to arms support, loans for Suez Canal infrastructure, and the Six Day War and Yom Kippur War.

Explore Iran under the shah, detailing westernisation, oil nationalization, the Mossadegh coup, SAVAK repression, and the White Revolution's reforms that preceded the 1979 revolution.

Explore Iran's transition from shah to ayatollah in 1979, driven by opposition to Westernisation, SAVAK repression, and clerical dissent that culminated in the Islamic state and hostage crisis.

Trace how the 1979 Iranian revolution destabilized the region, prompting Iraq's 1980 invasion, a brutal war with mass casualties, and widespread foreign involvement until 1988.

Explore how Iraq's debt, oil strategy, and Kuwait's production triggered the 1990–1991 Gulf War, prompting a US-led coalition, UN sanctions, and a ceasefire that reshaped the region.