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The Middle East has the highest level of religious antagonism in the world; in 2014, the median of religious tensions in the Middle East (including North Africa) was four times the global median. Six countries in the Middle East were ranked as 'very high' for their levels of religious hostilities during that year; these countries included Israel, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories.

Violent acts in Iraq have been by both Sunni and Shia-dominated groups and militias, which includes ISIS, which has led to killings, kidnappings, harassment, intimidation and displacement. Furthermore, there have been reports of ethnic cleansing related to religion in Iraq. According to Amnesty International, the Islamic State engaged in a systemic campaign of ethnic cleansing particularly against certain ethnic and religious groups, such as Shia Muslims; Shia mosques and communities were targeted.

The North Africa region had the largest share of countries and territories experiencing religion-related terrorism in 2014. Particularly in Israel, however, had more lethal terrorist activities, where attacks resulted in over 50 casualties.

In 2014, there had been an increase in the harassment of both Jewish and Christian groups in approximately 16-18 Middle Eastern countries by both governmental and independent social forces. Muslims also faced harassment in around 17 countries.

Most Muslim countries are hostile towards the Jewish state of Israel. Israel also further continues to target the Palestinian territories, which is motivated by a combination of factors which includes religious tensions as well as territorial, historical and ethnic divides.

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- The EU and USA initially supported the Arab Spring uprising against President Assad in Syria that began in 2011. However by 2015 they were bombing IS in Syria, somewhat helping the Assad forces
- Afganistan has been unstable since the Soviet invasion of 1979 and has been viewed as suspicious by the USA and its alllies for hiding Islamist groups responsible for attacks e.g 9/11 attacks
- Many conflicts across the Middle East (as shown in Figure 5)
- Alliance between USA, Israel and some EU member states against a loose alliance of Iran, Russia, China and Syria
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Saudi Arabia has the second-largest oil reserves in the world, and Iran has the world’s largest copper reserves. Nearly all the countries in the Middle East produce and export oil and natural gas.

Resources are very significant within the middle east, this is due to resources being the primary source of exports and in turn primary source of income within the middle east. This leads to large competition for the control of resources.

In some cases, this leads to conflicts surrounding access and availability of resources. The struggle over resources has been a large factor in many recent conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988, the Gulf War of 1990-1991, and the Sudanese Civil War of 1983-2005.

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The difference of cultures has caused concern overall for the middle east difference in cultures has caused civil wars and political tensions. The Sykes picot agreement has divided the middle east up after the ottoman empire it has been split up unto French and English regions. There are tensions between Palestinians and Israel because of the difference of  Jews and Muslims fight over the sovereignty.

There is complications because of the pass history of their religions  and even the slightest difference in culture can cause tension, there is tension between Sunni and Shia tensions for example Saudi Arabia which is majority Sunni compared to Iran which is Shia.

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The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy protests and uprisings that took place in the Middle East and North Africa, beginning in 2010. This began in Tunisia and Egypt, where the protests were successful, however protests in other countries weren't as successful. For example, in Syria the Assad regime responded with a crackdown on protesters. This violence eventually escalated to a civil war.

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Water scarcity has been the most headline-grabbing effect of climate change in the MENA area: the region has been consistently described by experts as “the world's most water-stressed.” Rising temperatures and their pernicious effects on health and productivity, desertification, population movements.

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The demographics of the Middle East are greatly influenced by its economic importance, due to its plentiful resources.

Population: Most middle Eastern countries are rapidly growing, for example Quatar's population has grown by 274% in 10 years. The total population of the Middle East is 476,377,851 spread between the 17 countries that make up the Middle East.

Egypt has the largest population of the Middle East of 110,990,103, with a population density of 111/km^2.

Ethnicity: The Middle East has many different ethnic groups sprawled across its countries, including Arabs, Bengalis, Egyptians, Filipinos, Jews, Hindus, Greeks, Sri Lankans, Sikhs and Pakistanis, and the list continues.

Languages:
There are five languages that are spoken throughout the Middle East:
English is often spoken as a second language

Gender: Overall, the Middle East sees a large number of men in the workforce.

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In the Middle East, past conflicts have often resulted in economic damage to oil installations, particularly in Kuwait and following the invasion of allied forces in Iraq in 2003.

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The creation of Israel in 1948 politically unified the Muslim Middle East and is contentious for many Arab states. The USA is a major supporter of Israel so struggles to maintain a positive influence in the Middle East.

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Development also brings environmental concerns. Chinas decision to move some industries from China to Africa has caused concern in some African countries. In 2014, one Chinese steal company decided to build a steel works in South Africa: creating employment, but also air and water pollution. China has also invested in Ethiopia leather industry, which is highly polluting.