Group Assignment Report 1

                                                                     Egypt and The Nile

                                                                            by              

Denise Uriarte

Marco Tapia

Brian Berkley

Egypt is known for the Great Pyramids but there are other important facts to consider as well. Egypt has a population of 83,688,164(estimated for July 2012). The urban population is 43.4 %.It is three times the size of New Mexico. The official language is Arabic, but English and French are spoken by educated classes. Most Egyptians are Muslim (90%), Coptic (9%) and Christian (1%). The climate is hot, dry summers with moderate winters. Egypt experiences        periodical droughts, earthquakes, flash floods and sandstorms.

Egypt has a Republic Government. Egypt gain independence in February 22, 1922.It has 27 governorates. Egyptians have five presidents since receive independence of government. The two house parliaments are The People’s Assembly (Maglis El-Shaab) and The Consultative Council (Maglis El-Shura).The elected 5^th  is President Mohamed Morsi after the 2011 Revolution. In current affairs, Egyptians are in an outrage over anti-Islamic film made in the U.S. They are also trying to prosecute seven different Coptic Christians for their participation in the creation of the film. The government has released warrants for the arrest of Coptic Christian Pastor Terry Jones.

The Nile has been a major factor in the development of the Egyptian nation. The Nile River is most known for being the longest river in the world. The name “Nile” originated from the Greek word “Neilos” which means valley. The Nile has two points of origin: the White Nile which is formed in Lake No in Sudan & the Blue Nile which is formed from Lake Tana in Ethiopia. The White Nile and Blue Nile meet near Khartoum in Sudan. It ends in at the Nile River Delta, which empties out into the Mediterranean Sea. The river travels north for approximately 4000 miles. It passes through or by the cities of Ethiopia, Zaire, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Sudan. Most of Egyptians’ farmlands depend on the Nile for irrigation due to scarce amount of rainfall; which contributed to many cities/civilizations to be located near the banks of the Nile.

The Nile was a major source of irrigation for Egypt. The traditional system of irrigation for the land was Basin Irrigation; which consisted of gathering water from Nile floods in shallow basins (which are open, shallow, usually round containers for holding liquids) and used to grow crops in soaked, replenished soil. This system was replaced in the mid-1800’s by the Perennial Irrigation System which regulated the Nile flow through the building of canals, barrages, dams, and reservoirs. This made water more available for irrigation throughout the year rather than just during flood season. Many dams have been built on the Nile throughout Egyptian history.

The Aswan High Dam is Egypt’s most famous dam. The Aswan High Dam is now Egypt’s entire main source of irrigation and electricity generation. It is located near the city of Aswan and stands at a 364 foot height, with a 3215 foot thick base, and length of 11,811 feet. Due to Aswan High Dam, agricultural land has been lost to urbanization and wind down sands and has limited natural freshwater resources away from the Nile. The Aswan High Dam has caused increase in soil salination below the dam.

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Arabian Peninsular

Countries:

There are seven countries that are considered to be in the Arabian Peninsula. The seven countries are Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Current Affairs

The discovery of vast reserves of oil in the 1930s has brought great wealth to all countries of the region, with the exception of Yemen. Small cities have developed into financial hubs. The extraction and refining of oil and gas are the major industrial activities in the Arabian Peninsula. The region has active construction and service sectors that mainly serve the oil industry. 

From 1962 to 1970, the North Yemen Civil War was fought in North Yemen between royalists of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen and factions of the Yemen Arab Republic. The war began with a coup d'etat carried out by the republican leader, Abdullah as-Sallal, which dethroned the newly crowned Imam Al-Badr and declared Yemen a republic under his presidency. The royalist side (Al-Badr) received support from Saudi Arabia, while the republicans were supported by Egypt and the Soviet Union. Despite several military moves and peace conferences, the war sank into a stalemate. By 1970, King Faisal of Saudi Arabia recognized the republic and a truce was signed. 

In 1990 Iraq attempted to claim Kuwaiti territory. The invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces led to the Gulf War that lasted from 1990 to 1991. The strained relations that still exist between many Arab states resulted when Egypt, Qatar, Syria, and Saudi Arabia joined the coalition that opposed Iraq while Jordan and Palestinians supported it. 

Social action:

The Arab Socialist Action Party  was founded in 1972 by the Arab Nationalist movement. It was an underground oppositional political party in Saudi Arabia. The political party attracted intellectuals and middle class people. The Arab socialist Action Party was not seen as a connection with religion. It's beliefs were influenced by Marxism and the Arab Nationalism. Marxism is the political and economic theories of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Arab Nationalism was the celebration of the Arab civilization, language, literature, and the rejuvenation and political union into the Arab world. The political party had three main ideas: introduction of political liberties, nationalization of oil resources, and to end foreign military presence in Saudi Arabia. This party also helped the Shi'ites against discrimination.

Economy:

The mineral resource of greatest value is oil. The Arabian Peninsula has the largest oil reserves in the world. With the exception of deposits in Yemen, the Arabian oil fields lie in the same great sedimentary basin as the fields of Iran and Iraq. Although oil was discovered in Iran in 1908, the first field on the Arabian side of the basin, in Bahrain, was not found until 1932. This inspired an intensive search in eastern Arabia that in time reached far into the interior. Oil was discovered in Saudi Arabia in 1938, in Kuwait and Qatar in 1940, on the mainland of the Saudi Arabia/Kuwait Neutral Zone in 1953, on the mainland of Abu Dhabi in 1960, in Oman in 1964, in South Yemen in 1983, and in North Yemen in 1984. In 1951 oil was discovered in the Persian Gulf off Saudi Arabia, in 1958 in Abu Dhabi offshore, and in 1960 in the Saudi Arabia/Kuwait Neutral Zone offshore.

Even in the southwest, where rainfall is heaviest, the water supply is not constant enough for the generation of power. The scarcity of water and the poor quality of the soil have hampered the development of an export trade in agricultural produce. Progress has been made by individual states in improving irrigation systems and expanding cultivated areas.

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Morocco                                                                                                        

Team 3

Members: Ricky, Ariel, Jasmine, Marc, and Julian

General Information

·      Morocco is a country located on the western coast of North Africa which shares borders with Algeria and Western Sahara.

·      King: Mohammed VI of Morocco

·      Land Area: 446,550 km² and 710,850 km² if Western Sahara is included.

·      Capital: Rabat

·      Largest City: Casablanca

·      Population: 32,272,974 as of 2011

·      Official Language: Arabic (Hassaniya Arabic is spoken in the southern provinces)

·      Currency: Moroccan Dirham

·      The Treaty of Fez of 1912 made Morocco a protectorate of France

·      Morocco got its independence from France on March 2, 1956

Politics

·      Constitutional Monarchy with an elected parliament

·      The Prime Minister heads the government

·      There are two chambers of parliament

o   The Assembly of Representatives

o   The Assembly of Councilors

·      The King has executive and legislative powers

·      The King has the power to dissolve parliament

·      The government exercises executive power, but if a contradiction arises, the King often overrides the government

·      The only African state that that is not a member of the African Union because of their dispute with the Sahrawi Arabs over Western Sahara

·      Moroccans refer to Western Sahara as the southern provinces and the Sahrawi Arabs call it the Free Zone

Culture

·      Most Moroccans are Sunni Muslims

·      99.1% are of Berber and Arab ethic background

·      Most speak Berber, Moroccan Arabic, or French

·      Many European professionals live in retirement communities in Morocco

·      Music is influenced by Arab, Amazign, African, and Andulusion tradition

·      Ethnically diverse- Over the years Morocco has hosted a variety of people including Jews, Arabs, Sub-Saharan Africans, Romans, Vandals, and Andalusions

·      Paganism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has influenced the beliefs of the Moroccan People

·      The cuisine is very diverse and is mainly Berber-Moorish, European, and Mediteranian

·      Saffron, mint, olives, oranges, and lemons are popular

·      Chicken is the most eaten meat

·      Beef is the most commonly eaten red meat

·      Lamb is preferred but too expensive

Economy

·      About 40% f Moroccan cannot read or write

·      High levels of poverty and poor health care

·      Very high unemployment rates among the educated as well as the uneducated result in constant social unrest

·      The economy is governed by the law of supply and demand

·      World’s biggest exporter and third largest producer of phosphorus

·      Main export is food to European countries

·      France is Morocco’s main import and export partner; however, Moroccan trade is staring to favor the U.S., the Gulf Region, and China

·      Main Exports

o   Sugar Beets

o   Grains

o   Fruits

o   Vegetables

o   Livestock (Mostly Sheep)

·      Imports

o   Some Foods

o   Clothes

o   School Supplies

·      The Service Industry accounts for more than half of GDP

·      Industry, Manufacturing, Construction, and Mining account for ¼ of GDP

·      Agriculture accounts for only 14% of GDP but employs over 40% of the working population

·      According to the World Bank’s forecast, Morocco’s economy is expected to grow by 4.2% in 2013

·      Free Trade Agreement with the U.S.

Current Affairs

Souhail Karem of Chicago Tribune.com reports “Morocco must investigate police torture claims

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Magherb and its neighbors

Brandi Berkowitz,
Maria Quintero,
Danica Chan,
Kendra Conboy,
hristina Macelveny

Maghreb has five countries, which are Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania also along with Mali, Niger, and Chad.  The Atlas Mountains were created 80 million years ago, and run along the northwestern edge of African, which is Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The elevation is 4,167 meters (13,671 feet tall) and it is hard to travel because of the intense weather. The Atlas Mountains is separated into six ranges. Middle Atlas Range- is basically covered by grass and it has a lot of rainfall and its 700 Kilometers. Jbel Toubka, which is the highest point, is 3000 meters and attracts tourists. It also provides valuable sources of water to four different regions (Sebou, Oum Errabiaa, Bouregreg, and Moulouya). High Atlas- Steep gogies and has green valleys and large rocks. It also has rainfall as well. It separates Sahara and Morocco. It also prevents Morocco from having high winds. Takerkoust  provides many fish for fisherman.  The Anti- Atlas- is 500km and is known for a lot of boaters stretching from Moroccan shores to Atlantic Ocean. It has a lot of silica-rich soil. The Tell Atlas range- the area is in the northernmost edge of Africa which borders the Mediterranean Sea which has a lot of salt water. The length of the mountains is more than 1,600 kilometers. The highest point is in the Saharan Atlas range and is the Mount Chelia which is 7,638 feet tall. The Saharan range is a wet area known for their rainfall and riverbeds that only run during the wet seasons. The Aures mountain range- is similar the Saharan range with their riverbeds which only occur during the wet seasons.

            The Maghreb countries and its neighbors were mainly colonized by France; therefore they have a heavy French influence. In some countries French is widely used in their government, culture, media and education. The official language of most of the countries is Arabic and French. Many primary schools also teach French. The main religion of most of the countries is Islam. France has a heavy population of maghrebi immigrants with many of them from Algeria and Morocco, and they form one of Europe’s largest Muslim population. Some of the countries, such as Tunisia have strong relations with Europe and mainly in France.

            Al Qaeda was originally formed in Nothern Africa, mainly in Algeria, known as the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). They migrated to Southwest Asia because everyone knew Northern Africa was the mainly where the terrorism started and became so powerful. On 9/11 was when the problem started with airport security and soon after that the U.S. started to build on their security. On September 11, 2012 the US consulate compound was attacked by Al Qaeda. They set a vehicle on fire that killed a US Ambassador, Chris Stevens. After investigation the Libyan officals say,” The attack was well coordinated and planned by an extremist group, and likely took months to plan.” The group is still trying to go after more US officals by inviting the youth to come and join their plan to tear down the embassies, by vandalizing the US flags and setting them on fire, as a way to “cleanse” their country of their “evil”. Al Qaeda released a statement stating the movtiation of the attack on the US consulate was due to the killing of their no. 2 commander this summer.

The Arab Spring

Team Members
Elizabeth Yani,
Jaizel Lemi,
Alex Bonilla

                                                                                                                                   

Countries Involved in conflict

·      Tunisia, Egypt, Libya & Yemen. Civil uprising also erupted in Bahrain and Syria.

·      Major protesters have broken out in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco and Sudan.

·      Minor protests occurred in Lebanon, Mauritania, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Dibjati and Western Sahara.

·      Clashes at the borders of Israel in May 2011 and Protests in by the Arab minority in Iranian Khuzestan erupted as well.

Source of conflict in the Region

·      Dictatorship (Absolute Monarchy), Human right violations, government corruptions, economic decline, unemployment, extreme poverty.

·      Protests of Police of ill treatment corruption

o   One citizen caught himself on fire because of ill treatment of police.

Why the conflict?

·  The Arab Spring movement is the rebellion of the Arab peoples against their tyrannical dictators. So far a number of murderous dictators have been overthrown. It remains to be seen how they will be replaced. Since the Arabs do not have a tradition of self-government predictions are difficult to make.

·      These peoples are fighting to achieve human rights and independence againt the tyranny of dictatorship.

Why the U.S?

·      Role of the United States and the Arab Spring is to bring some Aid and knowledge into the conflict.

·      Some critics have accused Western governments, including those of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, of hypocrisy in the way they have reacted to the Arab Spring. Noam Chomsky accused the Obama administration of endeavoring to muffle the revolutionary wave and stifle popular democratization efforts in the Middle East.

                                                                        Libya
Team Members

Cody Haney

Kevin Medina

Patrick Tith

Alvaro Mazarlegos

Siedo Campbell

1.     Politics

a.     As a result of the collapse of the Gaddafi government in August 2011 due to the Libyan civil war, Libya is under de facto administration of the National Transitional Council (NTC). De Facto is to show that the court will treat as a fact authority being exercised or an entity acting as if it had authority, even though the legal requirements have not been met.The NTC pledged to organize democratic elections by April 2012, and expects Libya to develop into a constitutional democracy by 2013. The National Transitional Council is a body formed by anti-Gaddafi forces during the Libyan civil war. Mohammed el-Megarif is the current president of Libya.

b.     24 December 1951= declare independence from UN trusteeship

c.     ·         Political parties were banned in Libya from 1972 until the collapse of the Gaddafi government, and all elections were nonpartisan under law. However, during the revolution, the NTC has made the introduction of multiparty democracy a cornerstone of its agenda. In June 2011, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said his father would agree to internationally monitored general elections, and would step down if he lost them, but his offer was refused by the rebels and ignored by the UN Security Council.

d.     ·         Fear that the deadly attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead could damage President Obama's foreign policy credentials just 50 days before the election may be driving the administration's insistence that the attack was a spontaneous act, analysts said Monday.

e.     ·          The Libyan president said over the weekend the attack was clearly pre-planned and could bear the markings of an Al Qaeda strike. An intelligence source in Libya also told Fox News on Monday there was no significant demonstration at the time. Still, the administration has contended the attack was "spontaneous," a product of protests already under way against an anti-Islam film.

2.     Economy

a.     The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenue from hydrocarbons, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, 65% of GDP, and 80% of government revenue.

b.     Small population gives it one of the highest per capita GDP in Africa at 14,100 (Est. 2010)

c.     Labor force is about 1.16 million

d.     Export: Crude Oil, Refined petroleum products, natural gas, Chemicals

                                               i.     Partners : Italy, Germany, France, China, Spain, Tunisia, India

e.     Import: Machinery, Semi-finished goods, food, transport equipment, Consumer Products

                                               i.     Partners: Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, China, Italy, Syria, France, Germany

f.      Libya has traditionally relied on the public sector to create employment, a measure that has proved unsustainable. At the same time, the country’s inefficient private sector has been unable to compensate for the lack of jobs

g.     Libya temporarily stopped producing and exporting oil, the country’s main revenue source, while the freezing of the country’s assets by the international community created significant obstacles such as the budget deficit being at 17.1% of GDP

h.     Unemployment for youth stands at 11%

3.     Current Affairs

a.     a protest that had happen outside the US Consulate in Buganzhi, Lybia,killed  the US ambassador Chris Stevens, was planned in advance.  The protest happen because of a religion movie and the Muslims took as an offense, but the killing of the ambassador was planned handed in time.

b.      Before any violence raised more in Lybia, the Colonel Gadaffi the leader of Lybia was killed, ever since, the US has played their rolled to convert into a democratic country, but it has bring many conflicts between the religion and the rebels of Gadaffi’s followers.

c.     Lybia will never change for reason they are run a strong powerful beliefs in religion they had follows with all the existing of Lybia.

4.     Gaddafi

a.     Seized a military coup in 1970; promoted himself to colonel

b.     Attacked unfair economic legacy of Oil

c.     Wrote a book called the Green Book, and had his political theory called “The Third Universal Theory”

                                               i.     Theory claims to solve the contradictions inherent in capitalism and communism (the first and second theories), in order to put the world on a path of political, economic and social revolution and set oppressed peoples free everywhere.

                                             ii.     The model that was created in reality was an ultra-hierarchical pyramid - with the Gaddafi family and close allies at the top wielding power unchecked, protected by a brutal security apparatus.

d.     He had redistributed wealth - although the enrichment of his own family from oil revenues and other deals was hard to ignore and redistribution was undertaken more in the spirit of buying loyalty than promoting equality.

e.     he was not so widely perceived as a western lackey as other Arab leaders, accused of putting outside interests before the interests of their own people.

f.      February 15, 2011: The start of the bloody uprising against Gaddafi's regime. On March 19, French, US and British forces launch UN-mandated air attacks. Nato takes over the operation on March 31.

g.     Muammar Gaddafi was born in 7 June 1942 in Lybia

h.     Gaddafi expelled the Italian and Jewish community from Libya

i.      He fought Egypt, Chad and France for control of the northern regions of the country

j.      Gaddafi was killed after 8 months of civil war to end his control of the country

k.     Gaddafi contributed to the Islamization of Sudan and Chad because he wanted to create a "Great Islamic State of the Sahel", unifying the Arab states of North Africa into one

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                                                            IRAN

Team Members
Beth,
Evelyn,
Briana,
Stephani,
Chris,
Zachary

Iran Culture 

Language:

Persian is the official language

 Persian and persian dialects: 58%

Turkic dialects: 26%

Kurdish: 9%

Religion:

Shi'a Muslim: 89%

Shunni Muslim: 9%

Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and other religions: 2%

Food:

Iranian cusine is referred to as " Persian"

Main Persian dish is a combination of rice with meat, chicken or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts and herbs.

Iranians usually eat plain yogurt with lunch and dinner. 

Customs:

Families tend to be small, only 1 or 2 children.

Elderly relatives are kept at home, not placed in nursing homes.

Most common greeting is " salaam alaykum" or "salaam" which means peace.

Very religous families don't allow dating for boys or girls.

Ramadan is the most sacred time of the year for  Muslims.

NowRuz - The Iranian New Year.

Iran Politics:

-2 main political parties:

    -Conservatives and reformists

    -Since 2009, only conservatives are allowed to participate

    -Reformists have been banned

-Elected and non-elected branches balance each other out

    Elected:

    -President

    -Parliament

    -Assembly of Experts

    Non-elected:

    -Supreme Leader

    -Armed forces

    -Head of  judiciary

    -Expediency council

-Iran’s complex and unusual political system combines element of a modern Islamic theocracy with democracy

-Shiites and Sunnies

    -Shiites are mainly in Iran and Iraq

    -Differences between are like Catholic and Protestants, in that the fundamentals are the same, but there is intolerance and violence

-Religion is a major influence in politics

Iran Economy:

-GDP/Capita = $6,359

-Inflation rate is up by 21.5%

-Currency: Toman

-Population below poverty line:

    -18.7% living below $11/day

    -3.1% living below $2/day

-Average net salary:

    -$500/month/person

    -$930/month/family

-Main exports: Petroleum, chemical and petrochemical products, fruits and nuts, cars, carpets, technical services

-Main industries: Petroleum, car manufacture, pharmaceuticals, energy, power, cement and other construction materials

-Main export partners: China, India, Japan, South Korea, Turkey

-Credit rating: B

Iran Current Affairs:

*US imposed Fresh Sanctions on Belligerent Iran 

-US government on 2 August 2012 announced to impose some fresh sanctions on Iran

*International Atomic Energy Agency set up Special Task Force for Iran 

-International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the international agency for the monitoring of nuclear energy, on 29 August 

Iran Finalised Peace Pipeline Deal with Pakistan 

-On 13 June 2010, Iran finalised ‘Peace Pipeline’ deal with Pakistan. Under ‘Peace Pipeline’ deal, Iran is likely to start exporting natural gas to Pakistan by 2015 and will continue to do so, on an average of one million cubic meters of natural gas daily to Pakistan for 25 years.

Iran Ready to swap Uranium inside Turkey

- Iranian government on 17 May2010 signed an agreement with Turkey and Brazil in Tehran to swap low enriched Uranium for high-enriched Uranium within Turkish boundaries.

IRAQ

Iraq Culture

• About 75 percent of the Iraqi people are Arab, 15% are Kurds, 3% are Persians, 2% are Tukomans, Assyrian.

• Only about 26% of the population lives out in the country side.

• 97% of the Iraqi people are Muslim ,3% are Christian, Sabaean or Yezedi

• The official language of Iraq is Arabic. Many other languages are spoken by a variety of ethnic groups, most notably Kurdish.

• In the past, women had an arranged marriage but it is becoming rarer. There was a law passed saying they gave authority to overpower the father’s wishes in the event of early marriage.

• Islam is the officially recognized religion of Iraq and is practiced by 95 percent of the population.

• There are two forms of Muslims in Iraq, the majority Shias (Shiites) and the minority Sunnis.

• Women usually wear clothing called a hijab. This clothing is to protect any skin from showing because men do not find it attractive to show skin.

• Every death is the same; it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor. When you die they wrap you in a white cloth and put you in a box if it is available.

• The standard Arabic/ Islamic greeting is “asalaamu alaikum”, meaning peace be with you.

• When someone is invited to a house for dinner, the guest must take their shoes off, kneel or sit criss cross if the meal is on the floor.

• They must also use their right hand to drink and eat food with.

Iraq Politics:

-Democracy, with an active legislature

-A new Iraqi constitution is underway

-The United States is assisting in developing a new government

-Religion is not the sole factor in Iraqi government today

-Elected representatives

-Political changes from a dictatorship to a democracy

Iraq Economy:

-GDP/Capita: $3,900

-Inflation up by 6%

-Currency is Iraqi Dinar

-Population below poverty level 25%

-Main exports: Crude oil, crude materials excluding fuels, food and live animals

-Export partners: US, China, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea

Iraq Current Affairs:

-Anti-Islam Film is causing riots in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Sudan

-Mobs of angry Muslims first broke out in Egypt on Tuesday 9/11

-US ambassador to Syria killed last Wednesday 9/12 when the embassy was overrun by Muslims

-The riots are spreading to more countries in the Middle East as they become aware of the film, including Iraq

-Iraqi government already in turmoil with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Miliki (a Shiite) calling for the death of former Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi (a Sunni)  

-No higher power wants to get involved

    -US concerned with jobs and economy, Europe has financial crisis, China has slowing economy

    -US wants the Middle East to handle the situation itself

-Issues with lack of US Military aid

-Without the US or Europe to aid Egypt and other countries, the responsibility is left to Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran, all of which have different types of government

-Turkey has a Muslim democracy with a relatively open society

-Iran has the world’s only theocracy, in which they believe that God is the head of state

-Saudi Arabia has an absolute monarchy with a relatively conservative society, promoting their branch of Islam called Wahhabi.

-While Turkey and Saudi Arabia have a common interest to keep Iran from influencing other governments, their different branches of Islam will undoubtedly get in the way of an alliance

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The Empire States

Countries

·      Turkey (mountainous country)

·      Iran (mountainous country)

·      Afghanistan (mountainous country)

Turkey’s population is just over 60 million and is dominated by the Islamic religion. Turkey has very little oil and depends on its industry for economic wealth, by manufacturing electronics, textiles, and steel. The main language is Turkish.

Iran is an Islamic Republic and has a majority Shiite population. Their population is also over 60 million. Iran controls the entire corridor between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. The official language of Iran is Persian.

Afghanistan population of 28 million does not have any unity and Afghanistan's weakness may attract intervention by neighbors that already have stakes in the country. Afghanistan remains one of the realm's weakest and poorest countries. Urbanization is below 20 percent, circulation is minimal, agricultural and pastoral subsistence remains the dominant livelihoods. Fruits and carpets are the main exports. Sunni Islam is the dominant religion. Persian and Pashto are the official languages of Afghanistan, making bilingualism very common.
Economy

Turkey has the world's 15th largest GDP. Tourism in Turkey has experienced rapid growth in the last twenty years, and constitutes an important part of the economy. Banking, construction, home appliances, electronics, textiles, oil refining, petrochemical products, food, mining, iron and steel, machine industry and automotive plays a big role in Turkey’s economy.

Iran has the world’s 25^th largest GDP. Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises. Oil is their largest export.

Afghanistan is an impoverished and least developed country, one of the world’s poorest due to the decades of war and nearly complete lack of foreign investment. The country is known for producing some of the finest pomegranates, grapes, apricots, melons, and several other fresh and dry fruits, including nuts.

Politics

Turkey is a parliamentary representative democracy. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. The legislative power is in the parliament and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, and the Constitutional Court is charged with ruling on the conformity of laws and decrees with the constitution.

Iran uses the political system of the Islamic Republic, which is based on the 1979 Constitution. The system comprises several intricately connected governing bodies. The Leader of the Revolution (commonly called "Supreme Leader" in the US and the UK) is responsible for delineation and supervision of the general policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He also controls the military and has the power to declare war or peace.

Afghanistan is an Islamic republic consisting of three branches, executive, legislative and judicial. The nation is currently led by Hamid Karzai as the President and leader since late 2001.

Current Affair

Turkey’s Kurdish conflict has escalated over the last year with more than 700 Kurds dead calling them terrorists. They’ve arrested thousands of Kurdish activists, intellectuals, and politicians over the years. Last week the arrested 44 Kurdish journalists and media workers from Kurdish news outlets. Turkey’s violent behavior towards the Kurds have been on the EU’s minds when they’re being reviewed to join the EU. Also more than 80,000 Syrians have fled from their government, because of their civil war, to Turkey’s border seeking refugee.

In Iran earlier this year India, China and a host of other nations had opposed US’ dictate to cut down their oil imports from Iran. US and European Union have come down heavily on Iran’s nuclear program seeking all possible diplomatic methods to stop the belligerent nation to carry on its nuclear program. Though the heavy sanctions imposed by the US and EU over Iran have not yielded them the desired result as Iran has thus far not gave up its plan to build nuclear armaments.

People in Afghanistan, and many other countries, are protesting the Anti-Islam film. Many protests happen outside the bases of NATO and are violent. Other protests are deadly such as the suicide bomber woman who killed 12 people and wounded 11 on 9/18/12. Then there were the killings of the 2 marines on their base.
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