How did the Cold War impact the Arab world?

Answer 1

First of all, there is no "Arab" world. That concept is totally a Western idea, pushed by TE Lawrence, aka "Lawrence of Arabia". There is very little that unifies middle-eastern residents, and most countries in the region are barely held together due to all sorts of factions.

Second, many "Arab" countries became pawns under the hegemony (if not the direct control) of the USSR or the USA. This isn't different than much of the rest of the world.

The USA installed a puppet government in Iran (the Shah of Iran), which allowed the USA to keep missiles and listening posts on the edge of the USSR. The Iranians haven't forgotten about that time in their history, or the brutal abuses under the Shah, and is the real basis for Iran's actions today. BTW, Iran is not part of the "Arab" world -- they are Persians, and if you call them an "Arab" it would be a great insult to them.

The USA also had missiles and listening posts in Turkey. The missiles in Iran and Turkey lead to the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba, and all were removed in order to avoid nuclear war (see "Cuban Missile Crisis").

America's support for Israel was not only on religious and relationship grounds (large number of American Jews who supported a pro-Israel policy), but also as a way to stop Soviet-backed nations like Syria, Egypt, Jordan, etc.

Of course, all things change in the middle-east. Egypt moved from isolationist to pro-Soviet to pro-American in the 1970's. Jordan became somewhat friendly with America. The Soviets themselves were caught up in the chaos of the Lebanese civil war. Communism, like capitalism (or democracy in general) never caught on in much of the middle-east. Ultimately, both sides were seen as outsiders to be allied with, or pushed out, or to be traded with.