Armenia
Kurdistan
A lot of people talk about Peace in the Middle East, but when they do they usually either assume that everyone in the Middle East is Arab, or that the problem stems from Arab People and Jewish People. But there are more than just Arabs and Jews in the Middle East and the suppression of these people is a large part of the reason there is no Peace in the whole of the Middle East.
Armenia is one of the most Ancient Nations in the World, the Capital Yerevan has been the Capitol for longer than Rome has been the Capital of Italy, Armenia is even mentioned in Babylonian Cuneiform. It is possible that Armenia is the place that horses were first Domesticated, It is the site of the oldest known mass production of Wine in the World and Armenian writing can be found in Archaeological sites in Israel. Armenia at one time reached all the way from the Caspian Sea, to the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, but has been pushed into the position it is now, mainly by Turkey.
In 1915 there was the first Genocide of the 20th Century, called the Armenia Genocide, in which 1.5 Million Armenians were killed by a Turkish movement called The Young Turks. And since then Turkey denies that it ever happened, mainly because they do not want to recognize that they are occupying the Territory known as Western Armenia, and would like everyone to forget that Western Armenia is a place. They even claim control of Mount Ararat and the surrounding region, which is a National Symbol of Armenia.
Another example of this is Azerbaijan, a Country that has no Historical basis, and that is inhabited by descendants of Turkmen. Azerbaijan even claims that Armenia was founded in the 1600s and that all Historical Artifacts found in Azerbaijan are from their own History, even though people have been putting Armenia on maps since the times of Ancient Babylon. Armenia was also the first Nation to make Christianity its State Religion, in the 4th Century. In the 1990s Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war, provoked by Azerbaijans killing Armenians in Territory that at that time was controlled by Azerbaijans, but the Armenians secured the Territory, known as Nagorno-Karabakh and since then there has been tension between the two Nations and Azerbaijan & Turkey have even closed their border with Armenia. Meaning that the only open borders with Armenia are Iran and Georgia.
Then there is Kurdistan. The Kurds have been fighting for Independence for Centuries and at this time they do not have their own Country which they have complete control over, they exist within the borders of what is currently considered Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. They have fought for or against almost every Empire that has ever been in the Middle East. The Kurds, like the Armenians, are some of the bravest people in the region and have experienced generations of War. Kurds are not the kind of people that would put up White flags, like Saddam's army, or like many of the ISIS fighters they find. And Turkey attempts to push the Kurds back the same way they push the Armenians back.
Kurdistan represents some of the most Ancient History of the World as well. There is an Ethno-Religious group of Kurds known as the Yizidi, which are at least as Ancient as Christians and comparable to the Jewish people, as many Christian groups have not been passing down their tradition within their own Ethnic group for as long as the Yizidi, except for Christian groups such as the Copts.
The Kurds have played a Major role in the War against ISIS, and are the main reason the Mosul Offensive is even possible. They surrounded ISIS in Mosul for at least a year, and cut off their Northern supply and escape routes, and were the first ones to move in and Liberate Villages.
So next time you say, or you hear someone say, that they want Peace in the Middle East, these are some things to consider.