| A | B |
| mandate | a country placed under control of another power |
| Palestine | often called the Holy Land |
| Arab-Israeli Wars | a series of wars between Isreal and Arabs |
| PLO | Palestine Liberation Organization |
| Sunnis | most Muslims in Southwest Asia belong to this group |
| Shi'ites | most Muslims in Iran belong to this group |
| Kurds | an ethnic group who do not have their own state |
| Muslim Fundamentalists | they believe Islam should be strictly observed |
| Ayatollah Khomeini | a shi'ite Muslim leader and fundamentalist |
| Iran-Iraq War | A war started over disputed oil territory |
| Persian Gulf War | started after Iraq invaded Kuwait |
| Operation Iraqi Freedom | the U.S. invasion of Iraq |
| Embargo | a government order forbidding trade with other countries |
| ethnic group | people who share a common culture, heritage, and language |
| ayatollah | respected religious leader |