The Similarities and Differences Between Three Middle East Countries Research Paper

The Similarities and Differences Between Three Middle East Countries - Research Paper Example Despite this widespread theme, there are some differences in the way how some Arab and/or North African countries are run. This paper will compare the similarities and differences between three Middle East countries: Syria, Israel, and Libya. One of the similarities between Syria, Israel, and Libya is that there is constant fighting at the moment, albeit for very different reasons. The civil war in Syria has continued on for over a year now, with almost 20,000 thought to have been killed by the government supported by Bashar al-Assad. Likewise, Israel had constantly been involved in the conflict with the Palestinians ever since Israel became a country in 1948. Many hundreds of people are killed each year due to battle, and there are occasional flare-ups that result in military activity in order to defend Israel’s sovereignty. Finally, Libya also experienced some violence, with up to 10,000 people killed during an eight-month civil war. Violence is commonplace among all these t hree countries because of the internal conflict that remains. Other countries within the area also experience the same level of violence on a regular basis, so it can be concluded that Syria, Israel, and Libya are just representative of the greater region as a whole. Despite Syria, Israel, and Libya all succumbing to violence and/or civil war, there are some key differences between the three countries. The most obvious one has to do with religion; Israel is predominantly Jewish, but Syria and Libya are Muslim. Besides this, Israel has also largely been unaffected by the events of the Arab Spring. The violence that occurs on a daily basis in Israel comes from longstanding rifts with the Palestinians rather than an uprising of sorts. There is really very little chance of Israel going the same way as either Syria or Libya because it is a sound democracy. The difference between Libya and Syria is that one country still has an ongoing civil war (Syria) while the other one (Libya) is now in the process of changing to a democracy. Also, the western response to each country’s strife has been remarkably different. While NATO support was forthcoming for Libya, the same cannot be said about Syria, whose leader remains defiant despite the introduction of sanctions against his country. Syria, Israel, and Libya all have their differences yet they are defined by certain characteristics. The Arab Spring is a reoccurring theme among these nations, except Israel, has proven to be largely immune from it. The differences between the three countries are confined to religion and the current state of violence within each country. 2. Explain 4 things that the United States, England, and some other European countries have in common. The United States, England, and Ireland all have factors that set them apart from the rest of the world. These factors can be broken down into three categories: political, economic, and military. The most obvious similarity between the United States , England, and France is that they all rely on a democratic system of government. Citizens have the power to elect officials to the highest office and then remove them if they so choose. Additionally, each of these three countries’ justice systems revolves around a common law system. A common law legal system places more power in the hands of judges through the courts rather than judges making decisions solely based on any codes or statutes.