This legacy would leave the Arab world struggling between a widely held ideal of Arab unity and a reality of nation- state nationalism reinforced by nationalist struggles for independence. The Arab states post-independence were divided by factionalism and infighting. These divisions were apparent in the first issue to test the independence Arab state system-the Palestine crisis (1947-9). The new states of the Middle East have proven remarkably stable, though in their genesis lay the foundations for many of the conflicts that have subsequently troubled the region.