>>508404697What do you think the middle east would look like if Israel never got formed?
I think a Ba'athist State would've, at best, reached from Libya to Iraq to Syria, and would've de-facto functioned like a decentralized confederation. I don't even think they'd be able to pull that off, the United Arab Republic of Syria and Egypt fell apart after a few years and it was just two. And it was the humiliation of Israel existing that motivated a lot of the Ba'athist nonsense in the first place.
Saudis and Gulfies with their oilbuxx wouldn't want to share that wealth with the rest of the Arabs. So they'd stay separate from the rest of the Arabs and keep western aligned. There would be no OPEC embargos either.
I think the Middle East would've been comparable to the Indian subcontinent. With the Ba'athist U.A.R somewhat Soviet aligned but too internally unstable to go venture out, like India, and the Iranians filling the role of Pakistan. Maybe they'd go to blows every decade or so, but nothing too intense as a protracted war would mean states breaking away from the U.A.R.
Saudi and petro-islam would still be a thing and bankrolled by the US, but the US wouldn't be having to pay massive bribes to Egypt for a status quo like it does not.
I genuinely think it would've been more peaceful and better for everyone if Israel wasn't plonked right in the middle. Interested in your views though.