This video gives the average person looking to understand more about what is going on in the Middle East a high level overview of the current geopolitical situation in that region and what led up to it. TOPICS COVERED IN THIS VIDEO: What is the middle east? Where is the middle east? - 0:03 Why the Middle East is always in the news - 0:41 Who lives in the middle east? - 1:05 What are the reasons for the conflicts in the middle east? - 1:26 Division of the middle east after World War I - 1:55 The spread of Wahhabism in the Middle East - 2:41 The Israel vs Palestine conflict explained simply - 3:21 Saudi Arabia and Iran regional rivalry explained simply - 5:40 American foreign policy in the Middle East explained simply - 6:38 1979 Iranian revolution explained simply - 11:07 Iran – Iraq War (1980 – 1988) explained simply - 12:03 Soviet – Afghan War (1979 – 1989) explained simply - 12:26 Gulf War (1990 – 1991) explained simply - 13:11 9/11 and the US invasion of Afghanistan (2001) explained simply - 13:36 Invasion of Iraq (2003) explained simply - 14:21 The Arab Spring (2010) explained simply - 15:16 The Syrian civil war explained simply - 15:28 The Yemen war explained simply - 16:40 RESOURCES FOR FURTHER STUDY VIDEOS *Middle East Explained - The Religions, Languages, and Ethnic Groups - By VanDeGraph YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZvYJmzvgLo *Geopolitical analysis for 2019: Middle East - By CaspianReport YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpbAHiWrwmc&t=402s *Syria's war: Who is fighting and why - By VOX YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFpanWNgfQY *The rise of ISIS, explained in 6 minutes - By VOX YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzmO6RWy1v8 *Saudi Arabia and Iran Square Off Over the Middle East - By Wall Street Journal youTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-lDKdmN9Qg *Here's How the Arab Spring Started and How It Affected the World | History - By HISTORY YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgcd5ZcxDys&t=132s WIKIPEDIA ARTICLES *Middle East - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East *Iranian revolution - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_Revolution *Iran – Iraq war - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War *Soviet – Afghan war - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Afghan_War *Gulf war - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War *United states invasion of Afghanistan - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Afghanistan *2003 invasion of Iraq - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_invasion_of_Iraq *Arab Spring - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_Spring Picture attributions: *Arab family graphic - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background - Background vector created by macrovector *Breaking News graphic - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background - Background vector created by starline *News anchor graphic - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/human - Human vector created by studiogstock *Arab man graphic - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business - Business vector created by macrovector *Jewish man graphic - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business - Business vector created by macrovector *Helicopter graphic during the Arab-Israeli war - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/business - Business vector created by macrovector_official *Car graphics - https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/car - Car vector created by brgfx *Allies, handshake icon - Icons made by https://www.flaticon.com/authors/freepik from https://www.flaticon.com