Although there's always more to be said, I think [this answer] (https://old.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/2f8vxe/boundaries_of_middle_east_countries_were_drawn/ck710f7/) by u/this_is_a_good_idea is an excellent write-up, all the more so because the discussion below gets into the books that have been written on the topic and their relative strengths and weaknesses if you want any recommendations for further reading.