L ord Byron asked at the beginning of the Greek Revolution, “The Dead have been awakened — shall I sleep?” The Greeks’ growing awareness of their history inspired them to rise up and overthrow their Ottoman rulers. They fought for seven years to get a country of their own. Many countries have a similar romantic national story. Other countries, like Britain or France, and Russia are so old that their stories speak for themselves. In the Middle East, these national identities are harder to find.
