Core focus

This unit focuses on the Middle East region, particularly the countries and territories of the Arabian Peninsula (Jordan, the Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Syria) and Iraq and the political decisions made before, during and after the First World War (1914-18). The Middle East region has been central to trade and communication for thousands of years, and the creation of the new Arab states of Iraq and Lebanon and of the Palestinian Territories have had ongoing implications for international security. The unit uses primary sources to develop an understanding of some Arab and British leaders who played a key role in the process of creating geopolitical boundaries and the consequences of the decisions made by and for the people; and the connections between the past, the present and the future in this part of the Arab region. There are opportunities to explore the different connections Australians have had, and continue to have, with this region through migration, military campaigns and trade.