Blog Number 4# Chapters 9, 11 and 12 Chapter 9 was a chapter that helped me better understand what is going on in the Middle East today. The birth of Islam played an integral role in establishing the Middle East and Africa as we knew it then and today. During this time the desert in the Middle East and Africa was in a state of change and uncertainty, with Islam being the one stabilizing factor in these areas. I also found it very refreshing to see that Islam at the time was a very tolerant religion which helped in the stabilization with the people in the area. I also find it very depressing that they are a religion that has not grown with the times and placed more value on the humanistic beliefs. I also found it refreshing to see how the Islamic religion brought upon more of an open network of exchange for goods and technologies. Chapter 11 was a very interesting chapter in that the Mongols were a bunch of bad asses who dominated the world for a short but brutal time. They were basically the initiators of psychological warfare by sending bodies riddled with the plague to the enemies by catapults. I also found it interesting that they were able to conquer the largest area of land ever known to man without really adding anything from a humanistic rule. They were however a very resourceful group that more or less started the global exchange by taking the best of all cultures and not only improving upon them but also spreading these new improvements globally. Chapter 12 was a cool chapter because it showed me how and why both China and India are who they are today. They really wanted to Isolate themselves during that timeframe and seem to want to do the same today. The only thing I think China has going for it is that Buddhism is still fighting to stay relevant within China’s communist rule. While with India I find that even though the government has renounced the Caste system it is still very relevant today. Both of these actions show how China and India want to be left alone to practice what they want. It was also cool to see the emergence of the Americas and the global population increase.