Middle-East and the Western world.

I think the question is moot and can be answered depending entirely on personal opinion on what should be emphasized. If emphasis is on the post-classical era, Muslim expansion into Spain and Italy before the time of the Crusades should be considered.

For a more objective answer, the question needs to be more specifically. What time frame? What are the civilizations under consideration? What is meant by appraoched? Military? political? economic? or cultural?

Edited by Imperator Invictus

In what age. It's evident that all Eropeans come eventually from the Near East (maybe via Central Asia in some cases). Europe was colonized from there c. 35,000 years ago and then also Neolithic (agriculture, pottery), Bronze and Iron techs spread out from the Near East. If we ignore the particular case of Greece and some isolated invasions in Asia Minor, both somehow a bridge between the two regions, and maybe some late Paleolithic influences that went W->E, there was no Western significant interfernce in Western Asia from Europe until the Roman Empire. Instead the opposite influx is more continuous, particularly via the Phoenicians.

If we get into Roman and post-Roman times, we have a clear Asian influence in Christianism that spread socio-politically inside the Roman Empire. Then we have the Muslim expansion, a more military influence that nevertheless only touched the fringes of Europe.

Then the current reverts and it is Europe which starts attacking SW Asia via the Crusades. The current is temporarily inverted again with Turkish expansion until the late Modern Age.

The expansion of colonialism in modern times after the WWI started with the League of Nations which granted protectorates to the British in the Middle East who in turn changed the borders of a number of countries including Iraq,Koweit,Palestine  etc.  for their Oil and political interests.

The current upheaval in the Mid-East is a direct result of this interference.

What about illustrious Alexander? and Xerx? and so on and on....Maju is right: everything depends on the period.

Originally posted by Mortaza In short, euros and mideasties have been shafting each other for millennia. Now, It is our turn?

If there's a milennary cycle, you still have to wait for about 500 years...