The contemporary map of the Middle East was drawn by the victorious Western imperial powers, Great Britain and France, during and after WWI. While the war was still raging, they signed an agreement drafted by the diplomats Sir Mark Sykes and François George-Picot, which delineated their respective spheres of influence across the Levant – an agreement that entirely disregarded the region’s history, ethnic and religious traditions and affiliations, and the will of local populations.
当代中东版图是由在一战中获胜的西方帝国主义列强英国和法国划定的。一战战火仍在肆虐时，他们就签署了由外交官马克·赛克斯爵士（Sir Mark Sykes）和弗朗索瓦·乔治-皮科（François George-Picot）起草的协定，划定了各自在黎凡特的势力范围。该协定完全不顾该地区的历史、种族和宗教传统和从属关系，也没有考虑本地居民的意愿。