Many modern-day geopolitical conflicts can trace their origin back to decisions taken by world leaders many decades or sometimes centuries ago. Some of these decisions had long-term, serious implications for the lives of thousands, if not millions of people. This is especially true in the Middle East. Following the Great War (1914-1918), there was much scrambling to try to prevent something similar ever happening again. Unfortunately, as we now know, many of these efforts had unintended consequences. A good example of this is the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement and the subsequent Balfour Declaration, which set the scene for the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict all the way back in 1916 and 1917, respectively.
Intrigued? Click on the following gallery to learn the fascinating story behind the establishment of borders in the Middle East, post-World War I.