History of the Middle East brought major protests, uprisings, and revolutions to several Middle Eastern countries, followed by prolonged civil wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. In 2014, a terrorist group and self-proclaimed caliphate calling itself the Islamic State made rapid territorial gains in western Iraq and eastern Syria, prompting international military intervention. At its peak, the group controlled an area containing an estimated 2.8 to 8 million people, 98% of which was lost by December 2017. By country: General: Works cited History of the Middle East Home to the Cradle of Civilization, the Middle East (usually interchangeable with the Near East) has seen
The Hidden Hand: Middle East Fears of Conspiracy a conspiracy mentality, or adopt one for political purposes. The second part deals with the two grand conspiracy theories about imperialist and Zionist domination that prevail across the Middle East. Third is an analysis of the goals and style of Middle Eastern conspiracy theories. And the fourth part of the book discusses explores the causes and origin of the region's ubiquitous predilection for conspiracy theories. According to William B. Quandt, reviewing "Hidden Hand" in Foreign Affairs, Pipes points out that conspiracy theories rose to popularity in Middle Eastern politics only after the Middle East began its relative decline in power,