试论第二次世界大战对中东国际关系的影响

ON THE IMPACT OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR ON THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

众所周知,“中东”这一名词本身便是欧洲殖民者向东扩张的产物,是“欧洲中心”观念的体现。从17世纪下半叶奥斯曼帝国由盛转衰之时起,在长达二百多年的时期里,

Since the 2nd World War, tremeendous changes have taken place in the Mi- ddle East: Europe's rule over the region became weaker and weaker until at last it completely broke up, and a number of countries have either gained or consolidated their national independence through long term heroic struggle, with the result that newly emergent countries or blocs of countries and oth- er nationalist forces have played an ever greater role on the political arena of the region; with influences ot the British, French and other old colonialism greatly weakened, the' European civil war' in the Middle East has come to an end, while both the U. S. and U. S. S. R. have inc reasingly penetrated into the region and waged long-term fierce scramble between them; the region has developed from its traditional position as' a flank of Europe 'into' a global key point'with ever greater strategic importance; a new pluralized pattern of international relations in the Middle East has gradually emerged after a complicated process of splitting and reorganization of different forces. The main driving force behind these great changes in the Middle East politics and foreign relationship is none other than the world war whi- ch brought catastrophe to the human beings forty-five years ago.