Blood and Oil (DVD)

Except for the Dardanelles/Gallipoli campaigns, the extensive combat operations in the Middle East during World War I have been largely overlooked in documentary programs. Given the historical significance of the Ottoman Empire’s demise in 1918, and the ongoing importance of Middle Eastern oil reserves to Western economies, a close study of this conflict provides two important lessons:

1. The Treaty of Versailles, agreed to by the Western Powers in 1919, paved the way for military and political chaos in the Middle East, which continues to this very day.

2. Oil reserves in the Middle East became an important strategic concern for Western Powers, helping to justify their economic, diplomatic and military interference in the region.

After the end of World War I, most of the Ottoman Empire was carved up into “spheres of influence”, controlled mostly by the British and French. The remaining territories became the modern state of Turkey in 1923 – after a five-year struggle by Turkish nationalists against Western domination.

With little regard for cultural, historical, religious and demographic considerations, the West sponsored the creation of several new nations: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Thus, a “tinderbox” was built from Western greed, igniting a multitude of wars, revolts, coups and military occupations that truly have made the defeat of the Ottoman Empire little more than a hollow victory.

 

This is an excellent and compelling documentary of events leading to the middle east crisis that we have been feeling for the last almost 100 years. The video footage is well done and the narration is clear, not cluttered, and informative. The entire DVD is very objectively done and I found I could not stop it once I started. And I am not a war buff or one who likes war documentaries. Everyone should see this DVD to understand why we're in Iraq now and how the way the US has gone in there (and Afghanistan as well) is unlikely to help and will probably exacerbate an already bad situation.