the Ottoman collapse after World War I, European colonial powers assumed the role of regional administrator, and colluded to redraw boundaries (i.e. Sykes-Picot) in the Middle-East to create nation states that satisfied competing Western interests. Those newly-created nations, occupying territories defined by

Africa's growing population and expanding urban economies change its global role? How has the conflict in Syria and Iraq upended the status quo of Sykes-Picot? And how can regional and multilateral institutions adapt to address the tensions that result from these developments? The 2017 IPI Salzburg Forum

A IN THIS ISSUE Myths & Facts: Exclusive Israel-Japan Agreement Myths & Facts Video Pro Pt THIS WEEK IN JEWISH HISTORY France & Britain sign Sykes-Picot Agreement (May 16, 1916) Israel & Lebanon sign peace agreement (May 17, 1983) Syria executes captured Israeli spy Eli Cohen (May 18, 1965)

ake is no less than the idea of the nation-state in the Arab world. It is no surprise that upon taking Mosul, ISIS wrote on its website, "Bye, Bye, Sykes-Picot." In other words, they are out to bring down not only the Syrian and Iraqi regimes but also the Arab system itself. President Bashar Al-Assad had s