MIDDLE EAST FAULT LINES
Understand the history, the people involved, and what keeps each conflict unresolved.
These background guides are separate from the live map. They distinguish documented history from current claims, name uncertainty, and link each factual section to its sources.
FEATURED GUIDE
National and territorial conflict · LevantThe conflict concerns Palestinians’ right to self-determination, Israeli security, control of land and resources, Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, borders and political power. It cannot be reduced to a single present-day military confrontation.
Read guide →The Kurdish question in Türkiye concerns the political, cultural and linguistic rights of Kurdish people, state authority, armed conflict involving the PKK, local governance and the effects of decades of violence. Kurdish identity and political views are diverse and cannot be treated as synonymous with any armed group.
In north-east Syria, Kurdish-led civil and security structures administer parts of the territory often associated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. Their relationship with Damascus, neighbouring states, Arab and other local communities, and international forces remains unsettled.
The Israel–Syria dispute is rooted in the 1948 war, the 1967 occupation of the Golan Heights, later wars and failed peace negotiations. Syria’s wider civil war and regional military activity have added risks without resolving the territorial dispute.
Iran and Israel have no diplomatic relations and describe one another as major security threats. Their confrontation involves Iran’s nuclear programme, regional armed partners, sanctions, intelligence and military activity, and competing accounts of deterrence and escalation.
Iraq’s political tensions reflect the legacy of authoritarian rule, the 2003 invasion, sectarian violence, displacement, governance failures, militia power and competition over state institutions. Sunni and Shia identities are diverse and do not predict a person’s politics or role in violence.
Each guide has direct source notes and identifies limitations. Historical context can be revised as new evidence or corrections emerge. Report an error.