The Fall of the Ottoman Empire Caused the Crack Epidemic of the 80's

For me, the fall of the Ottoman Empire spelled the end of the Old World, and the advent of modernism. The territories of the "sick man in Europe" included: Syria, Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan; North Africa and the Balkans. Most famously, the millet system the Empire employed, saw modern day Israel under the control of another heathen nation.

In 1917, the Balfour Declaration was publicly issued by the British government. [For more on this, read my article, "The Creation of the State of Israel"].  

In 1921, Iran saw the coup of Reza Khan successful and the old Qajar Dynasty ousted. Both these events had British-influence permeating the history. 

I thought of the Bible's Cyrus and God influencing him to release the Jews to their homeland. I thought of Iraq (another millet of the Ottoman's) and the Tower of Babel and the Babylonian Captivity. At the end of 1922, all that, and more, was gone. The end of World War I saw "The Eternal State" partitioned by the British Empire, and beyond the financial advisory of Arthur Millspaugh, America was largely absent from the Middle Eastern theatre.

Once the 1953 coup of Iran occurred the Middle East hosted both British and American military forces. At the conclusion of Operation Ajax, Iran saw its Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadegh, removed from office and Reza Pahlavi inserted as an autocratic figurehead. The Pahlavi Dynasty was more compliant to US influence and the Jimmy Carter Administration already had a friendly relationship with the Shah of Iran--Pahlavi.

It wasn't until the Iran Revolution, in 1979, that the US became even more proactive in the Middle East. Once the Tehran Hostage Incident occurred, in November of that year, we saw American attention turn more towards Iran. Beyond the failed Operation EagleClaw there were several moves made during the 444-day hostage negotiation. The hostages were officially released on, the day of Ronald Reagan's inauguration, January 20, 1981. 

It came to light, years later, the CIA sold weapons to Iranian terrorist group, Hezbollah, in an attempt to release hostages. This was in violation of the embargo the US imposed on Iran due to the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. These hostages were held in Lebanon and this was not the same situation from Tehran. 

Also come to light was the CIA's illegal decision to fund the militant Contras in Nicaragua. As per the Boland Amendment, Congress forbade bolstering the Contras in Nicaragua, but the Reagan Administration ignored this. Even if not directly involved the Contras were known for unsavory methods. Drug trafficking was one of their methods of raising funds and no doubt the added investment from the US helped push the Contra's drug dealings.