DANIEL PIPES: Sykes-Picot agreement from 1916 shaped modern Middle East – The secret agreement that shaped the Middle East set the stage for lethal instability | The Washingtion Times

The Sykes-Picot accord that has shaped and distorted the modern Middle East was signed 100 years ago, on May 16, 1916. In the deal, Mark Sykes for the British and Francois Georges-Picot for the French, with the Russians participating too, allocated much of the region, pending the minor detail of their defeating the Central Powers in World War I.