The Middle East (general catch all)

[davidbfpo]

David,

I saw these graphics the other day and I think they're well done. But I'm curious - (1) is the Middle East any more complex than other regions of the world and (2) what explains the West's generalization of the complexity of non-Western regions?

I suspect this perception, and the subsequent 'surprise' in U.S. media about the 'complexity' of the Middle East, is less about the region's actual complexity and more about the Western narrative and access to information.

No, the Middle East is no more complex than Africa or Europe, even the USA, if you are watching from another place. The graphics try to reduce complexity to diagrams, we are the visual generation, no longer the written generation and reflects the amount of time those who wish to learn have. The number involved is variable and often unpredictable in the West.

(More later time for dinner)