Loading ...Middle East map carved up by caliphates, enclaves and fiefdoms
Nearly a century after the Middle East’s frontiers were established by British and French colonialists, the maps delineating the region’s nation states are being overtaken by events.
Countries created to suit the imperial designs of London and Paris are being replaced by patches of territory carved out by jihadis, nationalists, rebels and warlords.
The border between Iraq and Syria is under the control of the so-called Islamic State; Syrian Kurds are experiencing the kind of autonomy their counterparts in Iraq have had for years; ethnic, tribal and religious leaders are running territories in Libya and Yemen.
As some of the nation states disintegrate, once powerful capital cities become ever more irrelevant. The rest of the world may have embassies in the Middle East but, increasingly, there are no effective ministries for them to interact with.
Source: www.bbc.com