Overview Of The Middle East By Jared Cohen

Although the Middle East is comprised of a multitude of different countries and cultures, many individuals overlook the complexities of these different civilizations and instead use common terms such as “Arab” to simplify the entire region of the world. When one looks deeper into the histories and intricacies of these countries, they are given an abundance of information and wisdom that allows them to gain new insight as to what they actually are and stand for. While people from nations such as the United States are very susceptible to this pitfall of ignorance, populations within Middle Eastern countries themselves can gain new, profound understandings of their neighbors by traveling, experiencing cultures firsthand, and engaging in discussions

During his time spent in Iran, Cohen worked with young people frequently and saw how the economic and political challenges of the nation directly translated into further hardships for the young generation. The Iranian government lacked sufficient opportunities for young adults to prosper economically or socially, instilling feelings of angst and unrest in many individuals. Variations of this common motif become apparent to Cohen in other nations across the Middle East, such as Iraq. During his time spent in the country, he notes how lasting effects from the U.S. invasion and occupation present themselves across everyday life, especially for the younger generation. Because the United States dismantled the governmental system of Iraq and created one of their own, political fragmentation and subsequent violence were prevalent in the country. The heavily damaged infrastructure and institutions of Iraq were seen to have little improvement being made, leaving a large portion of the population with feelings of resentment and anger because of a lack of access to basic resources to better themselves and their nation. These firsthand accounts led Jared to think about how easily violent movements and mindsets can rise from the results of destructive events, highlighting the need to discuss the roots of violence in hopes of reaching peace. Jared again displays his views of the importance of civil discussion in order to ease tensions between groups when he works with Lana Abu-Hijleh from the Arab Youth Generation. This group creates dialogues between the youth populations of Israel and Palestine in order to exchange beliefs of culture and faith to gain understanding and perspectives of one another. Jared is enlightened by the efforts of Lana and