Course info

This course is an introduction to politics in the Middle East and North Africa focusing on the interplay of numerous factors to better understand and critically analyze the Middle East. Some of these factors include: the impact of colonialism, nationalism, pan-Arabism, nation-state formation, regional crises, Arab-Israeli conflicts, conflicts in Lebanon, Iran-Iraq war, the Gulf wars, the politics of oil and water, political Islam, authoritarianism and democratization, political economy and globalization. There will be special attention paid to the historical and contemporary interaction between the Middle East and the West.
The aims of the course are:

* To discuss international relations of the Middle East within a larger context of the theories in International Relations literature, examining whether or not the current literature can account for the behaviour of the Middle Eastern states
* To demonstrate the political interrelationships between regional political change and international political conflict
* To develop a deeper comprehension of the endogenous and exogenous factors in the evolution of Middle East politics

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:
* To be able to speak confidently on the interplay of numerous factors in Middle Eastern politics and show expertise regarding the development and economic and foreign policies of the states in the Middle East
* The write a credible analysis of the interplay of economic, political and international factors in Middle Eastern politics