The topic is the history of the ME and NA from the Ottoman Empire on. The topic originator specifically asked to use the thread to step through the history of the region one step at a time.
I suggest we start with the Ottoman Empire, and then step by step move on from there.
Before WWI all of what we today call the Middle East was part of the Ottoman Empire. This had been the case for over four centuries and the borders between the Ottoman Empire and the West were relatively settled and peaceful, All of North Africa was part of the empirer. The Balkans was the line of contact between the West and the Ottoman Empire and split between the Ottoman Empire and Austro-Hungary.
None of the current nations of the Middle East were independant nations but rather just administrative divisions within the Ottoman Empire.
If you want to discuss your views on Islam, please start a new thread.
Edited by AdminAsgara, : Fix subtitle
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