Two diplomats carved up the Middle East with a map and a ruler

In 1916, British and French negotiators Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot secretly agreed how to divide Ottoman territory into zones of influence after the First World War, largely along straight lines that ignored existing communities. Leaked by revolutionary Russia in 1917, the agreement is still cited as a root cause of borders and grievances across the region.

— Mark Sykes and François Georges-Picot, Sykes-Picot Agreement — signed 16 May 1916