Right now, the phrase Middle East is virtually synonymous with gigantic clusterf—k. But how did a cradle of tolerance, wisdom, and learning morph into a region infamous for bloodshed, mayhem, and chaos? To answer that, we’ll walk through the ten historic reasons that have shaped the area’s tragic trajectory.
10 The Sunni/Shia Split
In AD 632 the Islamic movement was on a roll: it had swept through Mecca, united the Arabian Peninsula, and left a fresh trail of conquered lands. Muhammad’s clan was strong, the divine mandate seemed clear, and the future looked dazzling.
Then the Prophet died without designating a successor, and everything went sideways. Because Muhammad never fathered a son, no clear heir emerged. Many followers argued that his father‑in‑law, Abu Bakr, should become the first caliph, while a smaller faction insisted that his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib deserved the role of Imam. This seemingly modest disagreement sprouted the Sunni‑Shia schism that has haunted the region ever since – the divide between Sunnis (team Abu) and Shias (team Ali).
9 Centuries Of Disagreement
Initially the two camps managed to coexist. After three Sunni‑chosen caliphs, the community even appointed Ali as the fourth caliph, and harmony seemed possible.
Ali’s death, however, ushered in a turning point. When his son succeeded him, the Sunnis decided one Shia ruler was enough and deposed him. That act set in motion more than fourteen centuries of tension. The Shia built a hierarchy of imams descending from Ali, while the Sunnis upheld the caliphate model. At various moments the two systems cooperated, but the pendulum often swung the other way, leading to persecution: the Ottoman Empire executed 40,000 Shia in the 16th century, Mughal rulers burned Shia scholars, and British colonial forces hired Sunni militias to hunt Shia rebels in Iraq. These episodes sowed deep‑seated resentment that would eventually boil over.
8 Saudi Arabia’s Deal With The Devil
While the sectarian feud simmered, an 18th‑century reformer named Ibn Abd al‑Wahhab grew increasingly furious. At that time, Sunni Islam already prohibited many practices (such as idol worship) that Shia communities still observed. Wahhab argued for even stricter prohibitions, labeling violators as apostates—an accusation that, under his interpretation, justified killing.
Wahhabism caught fire across the Sunni world, and the House of Saud seized the moment. They forged an alliance: the Saud family backed Wahhabi preachers financially, while the clerics provided religious legitimacy to the nascent Saudi state. The partnership propelled the Saudis to power, but it also tied them to an ultraconservative ideology that would later backfire spectacularly.
7 Lines On Maps
For centuries the Sunni Ottoman Empire acted as the region’s glue, styling itself as the successor to the historic caliphate. Then World War I struck, and the empire vanished overnight.
The victorious Allied powers carved up Ottoman lands with a few hastily drawn lines, birthing modern states such as Syria, Iraq, and others. Unfortunately, these new borders forced together groups—Sunni, Shia, Kurds, Christians, Yazidis—who shared little history or common identity. In effect, the map created a series of miniature Yugoslavias, which survived only while prosperity reigned and external powers resisted stoking ethnic tensions.
6 Iran Gets The CIA Treatment
Amid these upheavals, Iran faced its own pivotal moment. In 1941 Allied forces deposed the pro‑Hitler shah, ushering a brief flirtation with democracy that reshaped internal dynamics.
The democratically elected Mohammad Mosaddegh, a secular Marxist‑leaning nationalist, nationalized the Anglo‑Persian Oil Company. Angered, the British turned to the United States, which orchestrated a 1953 coup (Operation Ajax) to oust Mosaddegh and reinstall the shah’s son. The new monarch proved just as corrupt, prompting Iranians to seek alternative revolutionary pathways, ultimately turning to hard‑line Shia clerics.
5 Saudi Arabia’s Internal Problems
Back home, the House of Saud found itself in a precarious bind. By the 1970s, Wahhabism had morphed into an ultra‑extreme brand of Islam, preaching anti‑Shia sentiment and glorifying jihad. These doctrines birthed hate preachers who spread venom across the region, laying ideological groundwork for groups like Al‑Qaeda.
Domestically, the royal family could not simply abandon Wahhabism; the clerics held enough sway to spark revolution if challenged. Consequently, the Saudis continued to fund and export Wahhabi ideology, pouring billions into campaigns across Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Bahrain. This slow, relentless drip of sectarian propaganda eroded trust between Sunnis and Shias, fostering widespread suspicion.
4 Iran Gets Its Revolution
January 7 1978 marked a watershed: the Iranian Revolution erupted, toppling the shah, installing Ayatollah Khomeini, and establishing a hard‑line Shia theocracy. The upheaval sent shockwaves through Sunni‑dominated Saudi Arabia, which entered full‑blown panic.
Khomeini condemned hereditary monarchy as un‑Islamic and claimed to represent all Muslims—directly challenging Saudi Arabia’s self‑styled guardianship of the Islamic world. In response, Saudi Arabia funneled even more money into Wahhabi preachers denouncing Shia Islam, while Iran began backing Shia movements to destabilize Saudi interests. This tit‑for‑tat intensified the sectarian rivalry and set the stage for future confrontations.
3 The Iraq Disaster
Throughout the Iran‑Saudi rivalry, Saddam Hussein acted as a wild‑card check. Both powers viewed his brutal regime as an existential threat, and his unpredictable temperament unintentionally kept a volatile balance in the region.
When the United States launched the 2003 invasion, Saddam was removed, eliminating the last restraining force. The ensuing power vacuum invited Iran and Saudi Arabia to scramble for influence. Saudi Arabia backed deposed Sunni factions, while Iran supported the newly formed Shia government, which retaliated violently against former Sunni rulers. In the chaos, Sunni jihadists such as Al‑Qaeda in Iraq (the precursor to ISIS) flourished.
2 Power Games
With Saddam gone and Iraq ablaze, Iran and Saudi Arabia amplified their power games across the Middle East. Both states supplied arms, finances, and propaganda to allied groups in Lebanon, Bahrain, and Yemen, turning sectarian identities into geopolitical tools.
Propaganda streamed through mosques, state‑run media, and outlets like PressTV, thrusting the Sunni‑Shia divide back into daily headlines. As new conflicts erupted, ordinary Muslims found it harder to stay neutral, mirroring how the Irish Troubles amplified Protestant‑Catholic tensions in the UK. The Arab Spring then added fuel, toppling dictators and igniting fresh wars, while Iran and Saudi Arabia vied for dominance over the emerging order.
1 Syria Goes To Hell
By 2011 the simmering sectarian rivalry boiled over. Two regional superpowers—Saudi Arabia and Iran—were ready to gamble everything in a deadly game of chicken.
Syria erupted into civil war. Saudi Arabia seized the moment to oust Bashar al‑Assad, the Iran‑friendly Shia dictator, while Iran fought to keep a Sunni‑controlled neighbor at bay. When Assad’s forces used chemical weapons and the West appeared indifferent, many Sunnis interpreted the episode as Western complicity with Shia Iran. Decades of Wahhabi preaching had primed them, and they flocked to extremist groups like ISIS, further destabilizing the region.
The outcome is a Middle East more fractured than ever—an intricate web of shifting alliances, ruthless power plays, and two heavyweight rivals exploiting an age‑old schism. Until a durable resolution emerges, the region is likely to remain deeply tangled.