A convention known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed on May 19, 1916. It was an arrangement which led to the division of the Ottoman Empire - negotiated between Sir Mark Sykes of Britain and Francois Georges-Picot of France. It led to the division of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine into various areas administered by either the French or the British. The lines drawn in 1916 still have implications today- even ISIS has referenced its desire to destroy the “Sykes-Picot” border. We’ll go back in history and retrace the diplomatic dealings which led to the agreement and talk about why it still matters today with James Barr, author of Line in the Sand Britain, France and the Struggle That Shaped the Middle East. (photo: By Ian Pitchford at en.wikipedia from Wikimedia Commons)