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ORGANIZATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES (OPEC)

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ORGANIZATION OF PETROLEUM EXPORTING COUNTRIES (OPEC)

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The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is a permanent, intergovernmental Organization, created at the Baghdad Conference on September 10–14, 1960, by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. The five Founding Members were later joined by nine other Members: Qatar (1961); Indonesia (1962) – suspended its membership in January 2009, reactivated it in January 2016, but decided to suspend it again in November 2016; Libya (1962); United Arab Emirates (1967); Algeria (1969); Nigeria (1971); Ecuador (1973) – suspended its membership in December 1992, but reactivated it in October 2007; Angola (2007); and Gabon (1975) - terminated its membership in January 1995 but rejoined in July 2016. OPEC had its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in the first five years of its existence. This was moved to Vienna, Austria, on September 1, 1965.
OPEC's objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum policies among Member Countries, in order to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those investing in the industry.

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secularist who rose through the Baath political party to assume a dictatorial presidency. Under his rule, segments of the populace enjoyed the benefits of oil wealth, while those in opposition faced torture and execution. After military conflicts with U.S.-led armed forces, Hussein was captured in 2003. He was later executed.

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A Turkish army officer, revolutionary, and founder of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President from 1923 until his death in 1938. His surname, Atatürk (meaning "Father of the Turks"), was granted to him in 1934 and forbidden to any other person by the Turkish parliament.

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A shah of Persia, the fifth king of the Safavid dynasty. He brought Persia once again to the zenith of power and influence politically, economically, and culturally.

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Regarded as the greatest Ottoman ruler. Also known as Suleyman the Magnificent, he was the tenth Ottoman sultan and fourth one to rule from Istanbul. He presided over a large empire and ruled longer and more heroically than any other Ottoman sultan. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak under his rule both in terms of political and economic power and development of Turkish art and architecture.

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A chemical, biological or radioactive weapon capable of causing widespread death and destruction

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codenamed Operation Desert Shield (2 August 1990 – 17 January 1991) for operations leading to the buildup of troops and defense of Saudi Arabia and Operation Desert Storm (17 January 1991 – 28 February 1991) in its combat phase, was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq'sinvasion and annexation of Kuwait.

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The Balfour Declaration was a letter dated 2 November 1917 from the United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour to Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community, for transmission to the Zionist Federation of Great Britain and Ireland. It read:
His Majesty's government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balfour_Declaration

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Pan-Arabism or Arabism is an ideology espousing the unification of the countries of North Africa and West Asia from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea, referred to as the Arab world. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism, which asserts that the Arabs constitute a single nation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Arabism

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Western imperialism in Asia as presented in this article pertains to Western European entry into what was first called the East Indies. This was sparked early in the 15th century by the search for trade routes to China that led directly to the Age of Discovery, and the introduction of early modern warfare into what was then called the Far East. By the early 16th century the Age of Sail greatly expanded Western European influence and development of the Spice Trade under colonialism. There has been a presence of Western European colonial empires and imperialism in Asia throughout six centuries of colonialism, formally ending with the independence of the Portuguese Empire's last colony East Timor in 2002. The empires introduced Western concepts of nation and the multinational state. This article attempts to outline the consequent development of the Western concept of the nation state.

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The Safavid Empire lasted from 1501-1722

It covered all of Iran, and parts of Turkey and Georgia

The Safavid Empire was a theocracy

The state religion was Shi'a Islam

All other religions, and forms of Islam were suppressed

The Empire's economic strength came from its location on the trade routes

The Empire made Iran a centre of art, architecture, poetry and philosophy

The capital, Isfahan, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world

The key figures in the Empire were:

Isma'il I

Abbas I

The Empire declined when it became complacent and corrupt

Origins

The Empire was founded by the Safavids, a Sufi order that goes back to Safi al-Din (1252-1334). Safi al-Din converted toShi'ism and was a Persian nationalist. The Safavid brotherhood was originally a religious group.

Over the following centuries the brotherhood became stronger, by attracting local warlords and by political marriages. It became a military group as well as a religious one in the 15th century.

Many were attracted by the brotherhood's allegiance to Ali, and to the 'hidden Imam'.

In the 15th century the brotherhood became more militarily aggressive, and waged a jihad (Islamic holy war) against parts of what are now modern Turkey and Georgia.

The Safavid Empire dates from the rule of Shah Ismail (ruled 1501-1524).

In 1501, the Safavid Shahs declared independence when the Ottomans outlawed Shi'a Islam in their territory. The Safavid Empire was strengthened by important Shi'a soldiers from the Ottoman army who had fled from persecution.

When the Safavids came to power, Shah Ismail was proclaimed ruler at the age of 14 or 15, and by 1510 Ismail had conquered the whole of Iran.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/safavidempire_1.shtml

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Western imperialism in Asia as presented in this article pertains to Western European entry into what was first called the East Indies. This was sparked early in the 15th century by the search for trade routes to China that led directly to the Age of Discovery, and the introduction of early modern warfare into what was then called the Far East. By the early 16th century the Age of Sail greatly expanded Western European influence and development of the Spice Trade under colonialism. There has been a presence of Western European colonial empires and imperialism in Asia throughout six centuries of colonialism, formally ending with the independence of the Portuguese Empire's last colony East Timor in 2002. The empires introduced Western concepts of nation and the multinational state. This article attempts to outline the consequent development of the Western concept of the nation state.

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The Middle East was no less affected by the conflict. After four centuries of continuous rule, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, creating a vacuum that contributed to tensions between local inhabitants and external powers or interests. The 'war to end all war' had not achieved its aim. At the beginning of November 1914, the Ottoman Empire, the world's greatest independent Islamic power, abandoned its ambivalent neutrality towards the warring parties, and became a belligerent in the conflict, with the sultan declaring a military jihad against France, Russia and Great Britain.The Ottoman Empire had recently been humiliated by setbacks in Libya and the Balkans. Participation in what had begun as a European war might seem to outside observers, therefore, to have been suicidal, but key elements in the government, impressed by German industrial and military power and motivated by dreams of imperial glory, greeted the expanding war as an opportunity to regain lost territories and incorporate new lands and nationalities into the empire. The Ottoman/Turkish army was of an unknown quality. But with Germany as an ally, the Ottoman Empire represented a serious threat to the British Empire, so in a pre-emptive strike, London immediately landed an Anglo-Indian force at Basra, near the estuary of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. This was done to protect the Anglo-Persian oil pipeline, which was vital to the British navy, and to show the Union Jack in this strategically important area in the Persian Gulf. Within weeks the Central Powers struck back with a surprise attack against Britain's 'jugular vein', the Suez Canal. This attempt, in early February 1915, to breach British defenses on the Suez Canal and raise an Islamic revolt in Egypt, failed however, and resulted in heavy losses for the attackers.

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West Asian has biggest and most profitable oil mines in the world.West Asia want a territory along the Persian gulf where oil mines are richest. competition among these nation for oil mines led to the gulf wars.War ended without a winner.it also destroy many oil mines.

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Unlike in First World War,West Asia did not play a big in the second World War because they did not trust anymore. Europeans gave up their colonies in West Asian,except Palestine,after war.Britain gave the mandate of Palestines to Jews. After the fist world First World War ,Britain signed the Balfour Declaration that promise the Jews they would have their own nation.Israel including those who were discriminated against in Europe during Hitler's rule.big number of jews threatened Palestines's current inhabitants called Zionist.

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While the Abbasid Dynasty and Seljuk Turks were heading to their downfall, another Turkish group from Asia Minor was growing powerful. These were the Ottoman Turks who defeated the Abbasids and Seljuk to take over the leadership of West Asia. It was the reign of the Ottoman that the Islamic Empire was at its biggest because their territory included Kurdistan, Georgia, Constantinople, Hungary, and North Africa. The height of the Ottoman Empire was during the rule of Emperor Suleiman. He was aided by his assistant called vizier, an advisory council, administrators of different agencies, and by an elite military force called janissaries to run the empire properly. One of the reasons why Ottoman Empire became powerful and remained powerful for a long time was the efficient system of recruiting members of the government and military. Each Christian family in the Ottoman Empire was required to "surrender"  a son to the government.  Training children at an early age assures that their values can be shaped according  to what the empire needed thus, the success of the government of the Ottoman Empire. The empire's major economic activity was trade. West Asia, including the Ottoman Empire, was lucky because the Phoenicians had established long ago a dynamic trade network that connected Asia, Africa, and Europe. In fact the other  end of the silk road of China and Indian Ocean Trade Network of India was West Asia. The Ottoman Turks benefitted  from these trade networks just like how the other Islamic Empires benefitted from it. The Ottoman Empire built beautiful structures with gardens in Islamic cities; open universities that served as centers of education and culture in which scholars studied about Asia, Greek, and Roman works; arts and music that became part of the daily lives of the people in the empire, and cultural centers and Islamic cities of Baghdad in Iraq, Damascus in Syria, and Delhi in India were interconnected by the Ottoman Empire.

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Since December of 2010, numerous revolutions have erupted in different West Asian nations including Syria, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. All of these revolutions were asking for liberal changes in their government especially replacing their old Islamic monarchy with a democratic government. These revolutions are collectively called the Arab Spring.

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West Asian nations into oil industry established the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as a way to standardize the production and pricing of petroleum products. The following data shows how much oil is contributed by West Asia to the total oil supply of the world. Because of the big quantity of oil they produce, OPEC members have control of the supply and price of petroleum in the world market.

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While West Asia was in chaos because of the collapsing Ottoman Empire and the invasion by Europeans, World War 1 erupted in Europe. Germany and Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, which, on the other hand, was aided by Russia. The Ottoman Empire saw this as an opportunity to save its empire from dying thus, it joined the world war in favor of Germany and Austria-Hungary who formed the Central Powers. On the other hand, France, Britain, and US joined in favor of Russia in an alliance called the Allied Powers. Notice that three countries were the onces that invaded Ottoman colonies. Had Germany, Austria-Hungary and Ottoman won the war, the Ottoman could have recovered the lands it lost to France, Britain, and Russia. However, the Central Powers were defeated in the war. And as a punishment to the Ottoman, Britain aided Saudi Arabia in conquering other Ottoman lands including some parts of Iraq.

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Princess May Constantino
Larrace Gem Salgado
Jean Raq'xl Eusebio
Ralph John Pellazo

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Important Characters to remember.
• Emperor Suleiman
• Abbas the Great
• Ataturk
• Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC)
• Saddam Hussein

Important concepts to remember.
• Genocide
• Oil/Petroleum
• Balfour Declaration
• Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Arab
• Pan-Arabism
• Gulf War

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• Examine the transformation of nations in West Asia as a result of European incursion.
• Explain the role of nationalism to the aquisition of freefom of nationa in West Asia from their European invaders.
• Describe how the nations of West Asia are performing as independent nations in the present age.

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Lesson 13: West Asia from 1600 to Present.

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Lesson 13: West Asia from 1600 to Present.

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Muslims dominated West Asia for a long time. Islam as a religion and as an empire influenced the people, institutions, culture, and economy of the region. Islam was and is the instrument of unification of civilizations of most of West Asia. However, the invasion of the Europeans and Americans of West Asia changed the way things were done in the region. The Europeans controlled its trade networks, competed for the ownership of lands with rich oil mines, brought industrialization, and introduced liberal parties that went against the strict practices of Islam. Just like in South Asia, the people of West Asia also fought the "westerners" to regain their independence.