This one's a few years old, but still pertinent — and particularly interesting for not advancing any one viewpoint or "explaination," except that "Middle East stuff is messy across multiple axes."
Be warned that the definition of "Middle East" is very flexible here — maps focus on everything from Afghanistan to North Africa, but the perspectives on things like history, ethnicity, religion, revolutions, colonialism, economies, technology, etc. do make it clearer why simplistic actions in the region are rarely effective (or, at least, rarely lead to simple results).
40 maps that explain the Middle East
These maps are crucial for understanding the region’s history, its present, and some of the most important stories there today.
46 view(s)
North Africa to Pakistan is the US definition of "Middle East", because Muslims.
+Stan Pedzick Which leaves out the largest Muslim country on Earth, ironically.