Why didn’t post-WWI Middle East borders match ethnic or religious lines?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Because outside powers dominated border-making after the war, prioritizing strategy and interests
Because many ethnic and religious groups had long lived mixed together, making neat borders hard to draw — Wrong. Mixed populations made clean identity-based borders difficult, but that alone does not explain the final map.
Because outside powers dominated border-making after the war, prioritizing strategy and interests ✓ — Correct! Great powers dominated border-making after the war, drawing lines to serve their own strategic and imperial interests rather than local identities.
Because the region's oil reserves were unevenly distributed, so borders were drawn to secure access — Wrong. Oil mattered in some areas, but the borders were drawn before oil became a major factor and do not consistently follow oil fields.
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