The Sykes-Picot agreement

The Sykes-Picot agreement detailed in this BBC article, which was accomplished in 1916, involved Britain and France with the knowledge and approval of Russia. The agreement focused on the manner in which the Middle East was going to be divided once the Ottoman Empire fell during World War I. France and Britain viewed the agreement as essentially dividing the Middle East into western spheres of influence revolving around trade and economic prosperity. The fact that this agreement even existed is evidence of the economic and colonial mindset the Europeans had when they thought about the outcome of World War I. They’re talking about how they’re going to divide up the Ottoman Empire before they’ve even won the war, and they show the fact that their promises in the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence to the Arab people that helped them over throw the Ottoman Empire were completely worthless to begin with.