Lines in the Sand & Remapping the World: thoughts and reflections

          The article, "Lines in the Sand", looks back to the Middle East to describe boarders that were created by Lawrence in 1918. These boarders were created while looking at the regional characteristics of the Middle East. Establishing countries that were independent and self-sufficient, Lawrence was able to keep religious groups together and retain existing national boarders. Unlike this culturally and economically sound version of the Middle East, the finalized map created by Britain and France was drawn for imperial interests, mainly of oil. After World War 1, these two world powers created boarders that cut through existing social and cultural groups. This created unstable countries and halted the progress that those countries could have otherwise made if not for their poor social situations. It is unfortunate that the uneducated decision making of France and Britain has lead to the modern Middle East.