Do you think the Middle East would have been better off remaining under Ottoman Rule or as it is today?

Question

What is your opinion? Should we have disbanded the empire or just put sanctions on it as we did Germany?

THATS SCARY FRANK!!!

Answer 1

Imagine the Ottoman Empire allied with the Nazis in World War Two.
Thanks for a stimulating question.

Answer 2

Wow. This is an interesting thought. Think how powerful the old Ottoman empire would be today if it had not been dismantled mainly by the French and British after WWI. All of the Middle East under control of Istanbul - a virtual monopoly on the bulk of the world's oil reserves. They would have been much more politically powerful than OPEC. There had been no great boon of oil revenues before 1918-1919 when Ottoman rule was disestablished by the Versailles treaties.
With wealth there is power, finances to build the military.
With strong centralized control, the world of Islam could have been a true superpower.
The "Allies" created Iraq, Syria, etc after WWI - then the UN supported Israel in 1947 after WWII. Western powers created the problem. Yes, there had been Shia vs Sunni strife within the old Ottoman empire, but it seemed to be handled within the structure of the empire.
Very interesting question, but it is one of those "What ifs" that can never be answered.

Added note - Iran was not part of the Ottoman empire. It was neutral in WWI but was largely manipulated by Great Britain after the discovery of oil in 1908.

- From a Wiki site excerpt :
"Syria became a French protectorate thinly disguised as a League of Nations Mandate. The Christian coastal areas was split off to become Lebanon, another French protectorate. Iraq and Palestine became British mandated territories. Iraq became the "Kingdom of Iraq" and one of Sherif Husayn's sons, Faisal, was installed as the King of Iraq. Palestine became the "British Mandate of Palestine" and was split in half. The eastern half of Palestine became the "Emirate of Transjordan" to provide a throne for another of Husayn's sons, Abdullah. The western half of Palestine was placed under direct British administration. The already substantial Jewish population was allowed to increase. Initially this increase was allowed under British protection. Most of the Arabian peninsula fell to another British ally, Ibn Saud. Saud created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1922.

Answer 3

There is a lot in between the Ottoman Rule and today. The problem with the Middle East has come about since WWII and the establishment of Israel.

Answer 4

The Ottomans decayed. There is too much division in the Middle East to have any one empire survive.

Answer 5

this is an intensely complicated question because the ottoman rule was ruthless to some of its subjects and it was beginning to wane, but the European countries shouldn't have tried to push their visions for the land, and oil that was there, on the people who had lived a certain way for centuries. it was pretty much colonialism like in Africa and i don't think the people liked being told what to do by foreigners and people of a different philosophy that themselves.

Answer 6

Jeez, no! The Turks were not a better choice, not that any choice was made. The time of the Ottomans was over. Everything ends.