riseagainstrocks

You're making my point for me. Colonialism in the Middle East existed for pretty much that one reason (plus the Strait of Hormuz,Suez Canal, and a few other routes linking Asia and the West I'm forgetting). It was either haggle with/fight Russia or go elsewhere. So Britain, France, and to a lesser extent the Low Countries, got all sorts of mixed up in the Middle East. We're seeing some of the last repercussions of that with the Arab Spring and its subsequent reversals.

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