Decolonization and Conflicts in the Arab World and Maghreb
Decolonization in the Arab World
The Middle East, a vast territory stretching from Egypt to Iran and from Turkey to Yemen, faced significant political conflicts and economic interests in oil reserves after World War II.
Post-Ottoman Empire
- Independent States: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Egypt (with British military presence at the Suez Canal).
- International Protectorates: Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, under British and French supervision.
The 1947 UN proposal to partition Palestine into two states (Jewish and Palestinian) complicated the situation.
Creation of Israel and its Consequences
The creation of Israel in 1948 was accepted by Jews but not by Palestinians or other Arab nations, leading to the first Arab-Israeli War. The war resulted in the defeat of Arab countries, reducing Palestinian territory to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. This defeat had direct and indirect impacts, including the end of the monarchy in Egypt and the proclamation of republics in various countries, including Somalia. Some states, like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, formed pro-Western monarchies.
In Iran, the pro-Western Shah was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini’s Shiite religious movement. Arab countries attempted to unify under a pan-Arabist movement to defend their interests and confront Israel.
Arab-Israeli Wars
- 1956
- 1967 (Six-Day War)
- 1973 (Yom Kippur War)
Arab countries suffered significant losses, and many Palestinians were displaced to refugee camps or subjected to Israeli settlements. The Palestinians organized their struggle, creating resistance organizations like the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Yasser Arafat, which organized the Intifada.
Independence of the Maghreb
The Maghreb was under French and Spanish rule. France controlled Morocco and Tunisia as protectorates and Algeria as a directly administered colony.
Nationalist movements emerged in all three countries. Morocco and Tunisia negotiated their independence, becoming a monarchy and a republic, respectively. Algeria’s independence involved a long armed conflict between France and the National Liberation Front due to pressure from French settlers and concerns about political and military prestige. The war caused a major political crisis in France, leading to the presidency of General de Gaulle and the creation of the Fifth Republic.
De Gaulle’s government negotiated with the National Liberation Front, granting independence to Algeria, which became the Democratic People’s Republic of Algeria. French settlers revolted against this decision. Spain controlled the Rif, Ifni, Western Sahara, and Guinea. Guinea gained independence in 1968, while Ifni and the Rif were ceded to Morocco. The Western Sahara remained linked to Spain until 1975, when the Polisario Front, an independence movement, emerged. After the Green March, organized by Morocco and Mauritania, Spain ceded the territory. Mauritania later withdrew. The Polisario Front proclaimed the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, leading to a dispute with Morocco over the territory’s independence.