Peace in the Middle East?

Readers in the modern era are so accustomed to thinking of the Middle East as a region of constant warfare that it is difficult to believe that there have been times of peace in that region. Centuries, and even millennia, of bloodshed are the hallmark of that area. But the years following World War One offered a brief respite and a time of tranquility.

The war, and its aftermath, were politically complex. It took months for diplomats to sort out the details after the ceasefire of November 11, 1918 (a regional ceasefire was signed on October 30, 1918 affecting the Ottoman Empire). Various treaties reflected the final status of territories: the Treaty of Versailles on June 29, 1919; and Treaty of Sèvres on August 10, 1920. Further negotiations and agreements continued to tweak the borders and governments of the region.

Despite this complexity - or perhaps because of it - the Middle East enjoyed years of peace. The primary mechanism was the "mandate" - when the League of Nations gave a commission to one of its member states to administer a territory. The French were given a mandate to administer Lebanon and Syria; the British administered Mesopotamia (soon to be renamed Iraq) and Palestine (Israel). Mandates were not colonies; the administering power had to present an annual report to the League of Nations, and the residents of the territory could appeal grievances to the League.

In addition to the mandate system (which also dealt with territories in Africa and the Pacific), the British retained their pre-war ownership of Egypt. France retained its protectorate in Tunisia. Libya was administered by Italy.

The calming influence of these arrangements meant a time of unprecedented peace in northeastern Africa and the Middle East. The inherently warlike tendencies of certain cultures in those territories was held in check, and concepts of process were introduced. Yes, there was a time of peace in Middle East.