"If we do not make small sacrifices, and alter our policy, in Persia now, we shall both endanger our friendship with Russia and find in a comparatively near future ........... a situation where our very existence as an Empire will be at stake." Sir George Clerk to Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary 21st July 1914. The animosity directed towards Russia has aways been driven by Empire builders and those who wished to exploit a region for its resources. To control and exploit a region an Empire would need an ally or allies. At the outbreak of the First World War the Ottoman Empire had influence over the following countries in the Middle East: Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and parts of Palestine and Turkey. Mesopotamia, a region that included modern-day Iraq, parts of Turkey and Iran. This region also included the western coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and the cities of Mecca and Medina. Other areas that the Ottoman controlled were the Sinai Peninsula the Gulf Coast which included Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
These territories were home to diverse populations, including Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, and others, and were governed by a range of Ottoman officials and administrators. The Ottoman Empire's control over these territories was challenged during World War I by a range of external and internal forces, including Arab nationalist movements, British and French colonial interests, regional conflicts and rivalries.
At the outbreak of the First World War The Ottoman Empire controlled Palestine and Jerusalem and the Empire borders extended to Iran. Iran's northern territory had a border with the Russian Empire and Russia was at the time an ally of the UK and France. Consequently, Iran tried to maintain a position of neutrality during the war so as not to antagonise the Ottomans or Russia.
The complexity of the political situation was exacerbated by the desire of European countries to exploit potential oil reserves and minerals in Mesopotamia. The Turkish Petroleum Company (TPC), was established in 1912 to explore for oil in what is now Iraq. The company was formed to overcome rivalries of competing European countries and companies. Negotiations with the Ottoman government had proven fruitless, and the competing parties joined forces to create the Turkish Petroleum. The shareholders in TPC were: the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (50 percent) and Royal Dutch Shell (25 percent), from which they each gave Gulbenkian a 2.5 percent beneficial interest, and Deutsche Bank (25 percent). On 28 June 1914, the Ottoman grand vizier promised to grant TPC a concession but the outbreak of the First World War brought an end to any possibility to start the explorations. By now the reader must be wondering where these ramblings are taking them? Well they are complex historical facts that are often seen in isolation of each other. In terms of current political rivalries the events may have influenced the actions of the worlds current dominant empire, the United States, and its vassals in Europe. Palestine and the Jewish Solution
At the time of the Balfour Declaration in 1917, Palestine was still under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire had ruled over Palestine and much of the Middle East for centuries, and it was not until the end of World War I that the empire was dissolved and its territories were carved up by the victorious Allied powers. The Balfour Declaration was a statement of British support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire. The declaration was made in the context of World War I, when the British government was seeking to win the support of Jewish communities around the world for its war effort against the Ottoman Empire. After the war, the League of Nations granted Britain a mandate to administer Palestine, and British forces occupied the territory. The Balfour Declaration thus played a significant role in shaping the future of Palestine and the broader Middle East. The Balfour Declaration was important to Britain for a number of reasons. It alleviated concerns regarding Jewish immigration, while it provided a reason for Jews to support Britain in its war efforts. After the war it also enabled Britain to secure control of the port of Haifa. We shall return to Haifa and its importance shortly. Prior to the Balfour Declaration and the fall of Palestine, Britain and its allies shared concerns regarding German / Ottoman influence over Iran (Persia). Persia, Afghanistan and the Crimea had long been part of the "Great Game" between Russia and Britain.
Crimea was a significant part of the Great Game. The British Empire sought to prevent Russia from gaining control over the region and gaining access to the warm waters of the Black Sea, which would have given them greater access to trade routes and markets in the Mediterranean and beyond. In the 19th century, the British supported the Ottoman Empire and its allies against the Russian Empire in a series of conflicts, including the Crimean War (1853-1856), which was fought primarily over control of the Crimean Peninsula. The British and French ultimately defeated the Russians in the war and prevented their expansion into the region. In 1907, Russia and Britain signed the Anglo-Russian Treaty which officially ended several decades of the "Great Game" between the Russians and British. the Russian and British governments agreed to divide Persia into three regions, with the Russians laying claim to northern Persia, the part adjacent to their previously conquered territories in the Transcaucasia, and the British claimed the south, which bordered British India (a third region was left as a buffer zone). The treaty was signed at a time when German imperial expansion into the region was underway, and the agreement served both Russia and Britain by reducing German regional influence and future expansion. In 1914, Russia, Britain, France, Romania and Italy formed an alliance against Germany and the Ottoman Empire. Persia (Iran) was meant to be neutral at the time. However, Persia found itself embroiled in the conflict due to its proximity to the opposing sides and the pre-war rivalry between the Allies and the Central Powers. Foreign interests in Persia were primarily based on the country's strategic location between British India, Imperial Russia, Afghanistan and the Ottoman Empire. All of the factors resulted in The Persian campaign or invasion of Iran (Persia) which was a series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire, British Empire and Russian Empire in Iran (Central, South and Iranian Azerbaijan region of neutral Qajar Iran).
Russian forces invaded Iran (then known as Persia) in 1915. The invasion aims was to secure Iranian territory and resources and prevent them from falling into the hands of the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire).
The Russian invasion of Iran was also influenced by a range of factors, but largely fear that the country's resources, particularly its oil reserves, could be used to support the Central Powers. The Russians also had their own strategic interests in Iran, including securing access to transportation routes and trade links between the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf. Russian forces quickly overran much of northern Iran, including the cities of Tabriz and Tehran. However, the campaign was not without its challenges, and Russian forces faced resistance from Iranian troops as well as local tribes and guerrilla fighters. In 1917, the Russian Revolution led to the collapse of the Russian Empire and the withdrawal of Russian forces from Iran. This left a power vacuum in northern Iran, which was soon filled by local warlords and other factions. The instability and conflict that followed contributed to the weakening of the Iranian government and the eventual rise of Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1925. The common theme prior to, during and after the First World War was to access resources and control the distribution of them. With the end of the war and the Balfour Declaration Britain was eventually able to secure access to the Iraq oil fields. A pipeline was built from the Iraqi city of Kirkuk to Haifa in Palestine. The pipeline was operational between 1935 and 1948. Its length was about 942 kilometres. The pipeline ceased operating when the British evacuated Palestine and the state of Israel was established. The establishment of Israel created a strong ally for America in the Middle East and both countries have taken full advantage of the alliance. To this day the oil rich Middle East: Libya, Iraq and Syria have found themselves embroiled in conflicts often as a result of American meddling, and a desire to control the flow of oil. Undoubtedly, the attempted overthrow of Assad in Syria was the result of America's thirst for oil while weakening Russian influence in the region. Ukraine The New Great Game Viktor Yanukovych was elected president in 2010, defeating Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Although, the election was judged free and fair by international observers Yanukovych was disliked by many in Western Ukraine. Yanukovych was walking a political tightrope trying to balance agreements in Europe while securing ties with Russia. This balancing act increased tensions within Ukraine among Pro-Russians and those opposed. In 2014 these tensions resulted in violent demonstrations known as the Maidan Revolution, a revolution that appears to have been supported by the American government and and likely orchestrated by them.
In December 2013, Nuland, assistant secretary of state for European affairs and a long-time regime change advocate, said that the U.S. government had spent $5 billion promoting “democracy” in Ukraine since 1991. The amount of investment has not been denied. POLITIFACT while acknowledging the investment argue that because Yanukovych was elected in 2010 and “any connection between the protests and the $5 billion is inaccurate”. The problem with this argument is that POLITIFACT ignore the move made by the Yanukovych government to establish stronger ties with Russia in 2013 a move that would no doubt would have resulted in a significant loss to the donors of the $5 billion dollars. On the 17 December 2013 Yanukovych announced a Russian–Ukrainian action plan that proposed a $15bn aid package from Russia that would aid economic growth. The plan was that Russia would buy $15 billion of Ukrainian Eurobonds and the cost of Russian natural gas supplied to Ukraine would be lowered to $268 per 1,000 cubic metres. The price was more than $400 at the time.
The agreement was a slap in the face for the IMF (International Monetary Fund) which had presented its own plan for investment and economic growth that included lowering wages, reforming and reducing the health and education sectors which accounted for the bulk of employment in Ukraine. The IMF also recommended a reduction of natural gas subsidies, subsidies that made energy affordable to the general public. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) on 22 February 2022 commented “The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has been a proud partner of Ukraine’s civil society groups, media outlets, and human rights defenders since 1989—before the Ukrainian people declared independence in 1991.” The statement is an open admission of attempts to influence political outcomes in Ukraine. Many will see it as an attempt to encourage open and transparent democratic processes, but whose democratic ideology was being espoused? NED was created in the 1980s by The Democracy Program as a bipartisan, private, non-profit corporation, that acts as a grant-making foundation. It is funded primarily by an annual allocation of money from the U.S. Congress. Many believe that NED is a CIA offshoot, and it certainly has close ties with government having appointed Victoria Nuland to the board of directors in 2018 for a three-year term. The American government backed an opposition to an elected government, an opposition supported by far-right groups that included the “Right Sector” and the “Svoboda Party”. The BBC went as far as to say that the Svoboda Party played a significant role in the Maidan protests which resulted in three members securing “powerful posts in the interim government: acting chief prosecutor, deputy prime minister and chairman of the National Security Council.”
The Maidan protest on 20 February 2014 was considered by Western Nations to be more than a demand for closer EU relations; they were a rejection of injustice and endemic corruption. However, the protest resulted in a massacre of protesters and police with the killings being condemned by the West as a brutal government crackdown. Between August 3-8, 2021, the 10th World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies heard evidence presented by Ivan Katchanovski a Ukrainian and Canadian political scientist based in Ottawa that most deaths were the result of snipers in Maidan controlled buildings.
The West continues to suppress Pro- Russian news outlets that may paint a different picture of the conflict in Ukraine. In 2021 Amnesty International raised concerns regarding Gender-based violence, LGBTI people’s rights, Freedom of expression and Discrimination in Ukraine.
The evidence of American interference in the deposing of an elected government is too great to be ignored, the recruitment of right-wing groups to help depose that government regardless of the size of membership has been swept under the carpet.
Understanding the history and political conflict in Eastern Europe is important, and the role of the West in destabilising governments that they are opposed to cannot be ignored. Ukraine is known for its abundance of natural resources, including fertile agricultural land, vast mineral deposits, and significant energy resources. The country is the world's sixth-largest producer of iron ore, and it also has substantial reserves of coal, natural gas, oil, and other minerals. In terms of agriculture, Ukraine is known for producing a wide variety of crops, including wheat, corn, barley, sunflower seeds, sugar beets, and soybeans. The country is one of the world's largest exporters of grain. The creation of Ukraine as an American Vassal state serves 3 purposes, control of those important natural resources, blocking Russia's access to those resources and a border close to Russia that can be used as a platform for insurgency to promote discontent within Russia. Ukraine and Crimea is once again at the centre of the Great Game! References CIA World Factbook: Ukraine. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/ukraine/
Ukrinform. (2021). Ukraine increases production of main agricultural crops. Retrieved from https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-economy/3293894-ukraine-increases-production-of-main-agricultural-crops.html
U.S. Department of State. (2021). Ukraine: Energy Profile. Retrieved from https://www.eia.gov/international/content/analysis/countries_long/Ukraine/ukraine.pdf Abrahamian, E. (2008). A history of modern Iran. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ansari, A. (2003). Modern Iran since 1921: The Pahlavis and after. Harlow: Longman.
Floor, W. (2008). The Persian Gulf: A political and economic history of five port cities, 1500-1730. Washington, DC: Mage Publishers. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2014/mar/19/facebook-posts/united-states-spent-5-billion-ukraine-anti-governm/
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