ABSTRACT
The Middle East Institute defines the Middle East as a region encompassing southwestern Asia and northeastern Africa, from Morocco to Pakistan, including the Caucasus. This region is home to the beginning of civilization and of the world’s three dominant monotheistic religions. The region’s history has been influenced by Persian, Greek and Roman empires, Crusaders, Mongols, Mamluks, Ottomans, Europeans, and many others. The majority of the countries that comprise the region gained independence only in the last century or so. Since then, the Middle East has been profoundly changed by the discovery of oil, the reconstitution of the state of Israel, Islamic revival and the Iranian Revolution, the Iran-Iraq War, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Persian Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The future of the Middle East remains uncertain as it struggles to balance the importance of religion, development and stability in an ever-democratizing, interconnected world.
