TEN
European Interests
and Imperialism
In the eighteenth century, the West achieved and then maintained military,
political, and economic superiority over the Middle East. This had not been
the usual power relationship before. Neither the rulers nor the subjects of
the Ottoman Empire—or any other Muslim country—wanted this subordi¬
nation to the European Christians, whom they had formerly looked down
upon. But what could they do? Whereas once the Muslims had controlled
the commercial routes between Europe and Asia and had dictated the terms
of trade to both, now Europeans were selling their manufactures to the Mid¬
dle East in exchange for raw materials and agricultural products. Europeans
living or trading in Muslim lands dwelt in special quarters of the big cities
and did not have to pay local taxes or obey local laws and regulations.
Whereas once the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean had been domi¬
nated by Muslim navies (or pirates), now European sailing ships—military
and merchant—controlled the high seas. Earlier, the Ottoman sultan could
choose the time and place to attack Christian Europe and then dictate peace
terms; now his armies were at the mercy of Austria's Habsburgs and Russia's
czars. To the Muslims, accustomed to victory on the battlefield, these
changes seemed a cosmic error. Was God punishing Muslims who had lost
their purity of intention and strayed from His plan for their community?
OTTOMAN WEAKNESSWe can trace the changing relationship between the Middle East and the
West by a series of dated events: In 1683 the Ottomans failed to take Vienna,
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