Connect a current event to a historical event you have studied
Current Event: Saudi Arabian and Iran’s proxy war
Historical Event: Ottoman Empire and Safavid Empire’s war
Saudi Arabia and Iran’s proxy war has lead to the lost of lives of tens of thousands of people, Yemen’s destabilization, Syria’s civil war, and many other catastrophic events. The most drastic difference between the two proxies and a reason that led to the proxy war is the split between Sunni and Shiite muslims, two sects of Islam that have feuded ever since their division after the death of Mohammed. An example of the feud between the Sunni and Shiite can be seen from the Ottoman and Safavid empires’ wars. The two empires fought not only for power, but also for their difference in religion. The Ottomans represent today’s Saudi Arabia, the Sunni power in today’s middle east, while the Safavids represent Iran, the Shiite majority country that opposes Saudi Arabia. The following paragraphs will elaborate upon the Ottomans and Safavids and their conflicts, today’s Saudi Arabia and Iran’s proxy wars, and both events’ connection.
Before the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabian and Iran, another rivalry was in place in the same region centuries earlier. Around 1300s, the Ottoman Empire was founded at present day Turkey. It conquered great amount of land using its gunpowder weapons, janissaries, and policy of religious freedom. The Ottoman Empire used its gunpowder weapons to destroy the city of Constantinople’s wall and finally brought the Byzantine Empire to an official end. The reason the empire lasted so long and controlled vast amounts of land is because of its method of taking in foreign people from conquered land and turning them into loyal Ottoman citizens. Janissaries— foreign boys who were trained to fight wars for the Ottoman Empire, lived in relative comfort and were allowed to raise in rank if worthy, provides the empire with an unlimited supply of elite soldiers to fight wars which help expanded the empire. Moreover, although the Ottoman Empire’s official religion was sunni islam, its people were granted religious freedom, which helped reduce foreign dissent and attracted talented foreigners who were prosecuted because of their religion. At the same time, the Safavids was a shiite islam empire that was founded in the 1500s in present day Iran. It rivaled with the Sunni Ottoman Empire in power and religion. At first, the Ottoman empire was much more powerful than the Safavids and gained much territory from them. But Abbas, a Shah ruler of the Safavids, learned from the Ottoman empire’s successful use of gunpowder weapons and janissaries and applied the same methods onto the Safavid empire. This allowed the Safavids to regain its territory that were lost to the Ottomans. The Safavid empire and Ottoman continued their rivalry and wars in the region for centuries before the Safavid empire fell.
Today, the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran fabricates instability in the middle east. Two major fronts of the proxy war can be identified: Syria and Yemen. Syria was originally governed by the Shiite Al-Assad regime supported by Iran. But due to the Arab Spring in 2010— protestation with the pursue for democracy, the majority Sunni population, and Saudi Arabia’s funding of Syrian rebels, the Syrian Civil War was started which is still happening today. The United States along with Saudi Arabia, has started a coalition of airstrikes against the Syrian government and IS, a rising power in the region, while Iran and Russia is providing weapons, vehicles, jets, and even troops to al-Assad to fight the rebels and IS. This is a form of modern imperialism, where the Saudis and Iranians are trying to gain influence over the region. Another front of the proxy war is Yemen, where the Shiite Houthis backed by Iran and the former government backed by Saudi Arabia is fighting for control of the nation. The proxy wars’ sides are mainly divided by religion and other political factors, which helps explain the different alliances made by Saudi Arabia and Iran to gain power in the region.
History repeats itself. The feud between the Sunni and Shiites can be seen in the wars between the powerful states in the past and present. In the past, where there were no international laws and organization to promote peace, empires are free to conquer each other, where the Ottomans and Safavids directly fought each other. But today, after WW I, II, and the invention of atomic bomb, the world carefully stifle any direct conflicts between nations. It is with this context that the rivalry and wars between the Sunni and Shiite states do not involve direct conflict, but instead uses proxy wars to gain influence of regions of middle east. Both super powers of the region funds and control their puppets such as the Houthis and the Syrian rebels to win the country and make it the state’s ideological territory and ally. As shown, the Ottomans and Safavids’ direct conflict can be translated into the modern context of proxy wars between Sunni and Shiite muslims because of the nature of empires: the struggle for power. ___
Current Event: Saudi Arabian and Iran’s proxy war
Historical Event: Ottoman Empire and Safavid Empire’s war
Saudi Arabia and Iran’s proxy war has lead to the lost of lives of tens of thousands of people, Yemen’s destabilization, Syria’s civil war, and many other catastrophic events. The most drastic difference between the two proxies and a reason that led to the proxy war is the split between Sunni and Shiite muslims, two sects of Islam that have feuded ever since their division after the death of Mohammed. An example of the feud between the Sunni and Shiite can be seen from the Ottoman and Safavid empires’ wars. The two empires fought not only for power, but also for their difference in religion. The Ottomans represent today’s Saudi Arabia, the Sunni power in today’s middle east, while the Safavids represent Iran, the Shiite majority country that opposes Saudi Arabia. The following paragraphs will elaborate upon the Ottomans and Safavids and their conflicts, today’s Saudi Arabia and Iran’s proxy wars, and both events’ connection.
Before the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabian and Iran, another rivalry was in place in the same region centuries earlier. Around 1300s, the Ottoman Empire was founded at present day Turkey. It conquered great amount of land using its gunpowder weapons, janissaries, and policy of religious freedom. The Ottoman Empire used its gunpowder weapons to destroy the city of Constantinople’s wall and finally brought the Byzantine Empire to an official end. The reason the empire lasted so long and controlled vast amounts of land is because of its method of taking in foreign people from conquered land and turning them into loyal Ottoman citizens. Janissaries— foreign boys who were trained to fight wars for the Ottoman Empire, lived in relative comfort and were allowed to raise in rank if worthy, provides the empire with an unlimited supply of elite soldiers to fight wars which help expanded the empire. Moreover, although the Ottoman Empire’s official religion was sunni islam, its people were granted religious freedom, which helped reduce foreign dissent and attracted talented foreigners who were prosecuted because of their religion. At the same time, the Safavids was a shiite islam empire that was founded in the 1500s in present day Iran. It rivaled with the Sunni Ottoman Empire in power and religion. At first, the Ottoman empire was much more powerful than the Safavids and gained much territory from them. But Abbas, a Shah ruler of the Safavids, learned from the Ottoman empire’s successful use of gunpowder weapons and janissaries and applied the same methods onto the Safavid empire. This allowed the Safavids to regain its territory that were lost to the Ottomans. The Safavid empire and Ottoman continued their rivalry and wars in the region for centuries before the Safavid empire fell.
Today, the proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran fabricates instability in the middle east. Two major fronts of the proxy war can be identified: Syria and Yemen. Syria was originally governed by the Shiite Al-Assad regime supported by Iran. But due to the Arab Spring in 2010— protestation with the pursue for democracy, the majority Sunni population, and Saudi Arabia’s funding of Syrian rebels, the Syrian Civil War was started which is still happening today. The United States along with Saudi Arabia, has started a coalition of airstrikes against the Syrian government and IS, a rising power in the region, while Iran and Russia is providing weapons, vehicles, jets, and even troops to al-Assad to fight the rebels and IS. This is a form of modern imperialism, where the Saudis and Iranians are trying to gain influence over the region. Another front of the proxy war is Yemen, where the Shiite Houthis backed by Iran and the former government backed by Saudi Arabia is fighting for control of the nation. The proxy wars’ sides are mainly divided by religion and other political factors, which helps explain the different alliances made by Saudi Arabia and Iran to gain power in the region.
History repeats itself. The feud between the Sunni and Shiites can be seen in the wars between the powerful states in the past and present. In the past, where there were no international laws and organization to promote peace, empires are free to conquer each other, where the Ottomans and Safavids directly fought each other. But today, after WW I, II, and the invention of atomic bomb, the world carefully stifle any direct conflicts between nations. It is with this context that the rivalry and wars between the Sunni and Shiite states do not involve direct conflict, but instead uses proxy wars to gain influence of regions of middle east. Both super powers of the region funds and control their puppets such as the Houthis and the Syrian rebels to win the country and make it the state’s ideological territory and ally. As shown, the Ottomans and Safavids’ direct conflict can be translated into the modern context of proxy wars between Sunni and Shiite muslims because of the nature of empires: the struggle for power. ___