The Middle East. The 18th century-Ottoman Empire, Arab stagnation, the Iranian state, revival of Islam. The origins of European intervention. The rise of Egypt and British interest in the Indian Ocean. Great power rivalry and the beginnings of colonialism in the region, the impact of technology and capitalism and the beginnings of nationalism. The 1914-18 War and the creation of Israel-the position of the Palestine people, Arab-Israeli wars, revolution and reform, the effects of oil, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism.