Conflict in the Middle East A section of scholars and some global leaders argue that oil is the main cause of conflict in the Middle East. However, oil is not the primary reason why the conflict in the Middle East has persisted for years despite the socio-political and economic changes that have been witnessed in the region over the recent past. For one to understand the conflict in the Middle East, it is important to first understand how the region was governed during the Ottoman Empire and what happened when the rule of the sultanate officially ended in 1922. It is believed that the Ottoman Empire was founded in 1299 (McCarthy, 2001). The modern-day Middle East was part of the empire and it was governed as regional states. However, just like many other great empires before it, the Ottoman Empire started declining with the rise of European powers. In 1922, the rule of the sultanate of the empire officially came to an end, and scholars who understand this region know that it was at this point that the conflict began. A study by Diwan and Galal (2016) shows that oil is not the primary reason for the stability of the region, arguing that the leadership provided by the Sultanate of Oman was the glue that helped in unifying the region. The following are clear examples of forces other than oil in the region that led to the current conflicts common in the Middle East. The Collapse of Unifying Regional Leadership as Cause of Conflict in the Middle East According to Gingeras (2016), the current conflicts in the Middle East may be attributed to conflicting political interests in the region after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The leadership of this empire knew that the region was highly diversified in terms of race, religion, and other demographical factors. Although the rulers themselves and the majority of the population were Muslims, there was also a significant population of minority Christians, Jews, and other religious groups (Rogan, 2015). As the kingdom expanded to Europe, it conquered Christian nations. Instead of forcing them to become Muslims, the rulers gave them the right to exercise their faith, something that many historians considered very noble. The Jews in the Middle East were also allowed to practice their faith without interferences. The rulers embraced some sort of democracy when it came to religion in the region. The rulers were just a symbol of unity in the region, but people were granted permission to practice their faith (Gingeras, 2016). This was an example of exemplary leadership demonstrated by the rules that promoted unity in the region. The army of the empire was also diversified, giving little significance to race or religion when recruiting soldiers. When this regional leadership collapsed, the diversity in the region became a cause of conflict. These socio-political conflicts, such as the tension between Israel and Palestine, are not primarily caused by oil. Socio-Religious Forces as a Cause of Conflict in the Middle East According to Diwan and Galal (2016), following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, regional kingdoms emerged based on the religious and social alignment of members of the community. Societies started relying more on their religious teachings to define how they relate w