The use of the term Middle East as a region of international affairs apparently began in British and American diplomatic circles quite independently of each other over concern for the security of the same country: Iran, then known to the west as Persia. In 1900 Thomas Edward Gordon published an article, The Problem of the Middle East, which began:
When did Thomas Edward Gordon publish "The Problem of the Middle East"?
{'text': '1900', 'answer_start': 257}