The American University in Cairo s3

The American University in Cairo

Political Science 4605-02

International Politics in the Middle East

Fall 2016

Al Waleed C143

Sunday and Wednesday 5:10-6:30

Dr. Gamal A. Gawad Soltan

Office Hours: Sunday and Wednesday 12:00-2:00, and by appointment

Office: HUSS 2036

Email:

Course Description

The Middle East is going through deep transition. Changes are happening at the state level, the regional level, the position of the Middle East in global politics, and the policies of major global actors towards the region. The current scene in the Middle East, as well as the future Middle East, is the outcome of structural forces and long term trends. Identifying and explaining the undercurrents of Middle East’s international politics is the purpose of this course. These include patterns of state formation, the foreign policy of Middle Eastern states, and the policies of major global actors in the region.

In addition to learning about the developments that made the relevant part of the region’s modern history, the course will engage different theoretical perspectives and analytical frameworks. Help students develop analytical perspectives that can help explain the international politics of the Middle East is among the main goals of this course.

Course Requirements and Student Evaluation

Attendance and Participation: According to the AUC’s policy, attendance is integral part of the learning process. Missing more than the equivalent of three weeks of class meetings without acceptable excuses puts the student at the risk of penalty. However, the AUC’s policy does not reward students just for attendance. Active attendance, on the other hand is highly encouraged. Students who actively take part in in class activities and discussions can win a maximum of 15% of the total grade.

Reaction papers: Each other week, each student should submit a reaction paper to the assigned readings for that week. Reaction paper should be submitted at the beginning of the respective class period. Late submission of reaction papers is categorically NOT ACCEPTED. Students are to be assigned to two lists, students of each list should submit their reaction papers each other week. Each reaction paper worth 4% of the total grade. 20% of the total grade is assigned to this exercise. To win the full credit allocated to this exercise, the student should submit 5 reaction papers. Additional reaction papers submitted will be granted extra credit.

Final Exam: A comprehensive take-home exam of three questions. Questions will be given to students in the last day of classes. Both hard and soft copies of the answers should be submitted no later than noon time on the scheduled final's day, whatever that is. The final exam is worth 30% of the total grade.

Term paper: Students are expected to turn in one term paper of 4,000 words, including the literature review. Students should submit a proposal for their term papers in due time. The paper proposal is worth 5% of the total grade. Students will be required to present their proposals in class so that they can receive feed-back from both the instructor and their colleagues. Guidelines towards developing the term paper will be provided in proper time. The final term paper is worth 20% of the total grade.

Book Review: Each student is expected to submit a book review for a relevant book. Below you find a tentative list of books to choose from. Books that are not included in the list are welcomed after the approval of the instructor. Guidelines towards developing the book review will be provided in proper time. This exercise is worth 10% of the total grade.

List of the suggested books

1.  Bassam Tibi, Arab nationalism : between Islam and the nation-state

2.  Bassel F. Salloukh, Rex Brynen (eds.), Persistent permeability? : regionalism, localism, and globalization in the Middle East

3.  Fawaz Gerges, Obama and the Middle East: The End of the America’s Moment.

4.  Carl Brown (ed.), Diplomacy in the Middle East : the international relations of regional and outside powers

5.  Curtis F. Jones, Divide and perish : the geopolitics of the Middle East

6.  Robert Bowker, Egypt and the politics of change in the Arab Middle East

7.  Anoushiravan Ehteshami, Globalization and geopolitics in the Middle East : old games, new rules

8.  M. Parvizi Amineh (ed.), The Greater Middle East in global politics : social science perspectives on the changing geography of the world politics

9.  Jerome Donovan, The Iran-Iraq War : antecedents and conflict escalation

10. Sami Zubaida, Islam, the people and the state : essays on political ideas and movements in the Middle East

11. Katerina Dalacoura, Islamist terrorism and democracy in the Middle East

12. Nader Entessar, Kurdish politics in the Middle East

13. Gwynne Dyer, The mess they made : the Middle East after Iraq

14. Stephan Stetter, World society and the Middle East : reconstructions in regional politics

15. Malcolm H. Kerr, The Arab cold war : Gamal ʼAbd al-Nasir and his rivals, 1958-1970

16. Youssef M. Choueiri, Arab nationalism-- a history : nation and state in the Arab world

17. Adeed Dawisha, Arab nationalism in the twentieth century: from triumph to despair

Points in this class are distributed as the following

Attendance and Class participation 15%

Reaction papers 20%

Term paper proposal 5%

Final Term paper 20%

Book Review 10%

Final Exam 30%

The following is the grading scheme in this class

D 50-59%

C 60-74%

B 75-89%

A 90-100%

Topics and Readings

Week 1 (Week of September 4th)

Introduction
Readings:
1.  Raymond Hinnebusch, International Relations of the Middle East, Ch. 1.

Week 2 (week of September 11th)

  1. Eid El-Adha

Week 3 (week of September 18th)

The emergence of modern states in the Middle East
Readings:
  1. William C. Cleveland, A History of the Modern Middle East, Ch. 4: "Forging a new synthesis: The pattern of reforms, 1789-1849", pp. 57-80 (Reserve)
  2. Eugene L. Rogan, The emergence of the Middle East into the modern State System, in Louise Fawcett (ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (Reserve)

Week 4 (week of September 25th)

The Ideological Landscape of the Middle East

  1. Albert Hourani, Arabic Thought in the Liberal Age 1798-1939, Ch. 4: The first generation, pp. 67-102 (Reserve)

2.  Raymond Hinnebusch, The politics of identity in the Middle East international relations, in Louise Fawcett, International Relations of the Middle East (Reserve)

  1. Peter Mandaville, Islam and International Relations in the Middle East, Ch. 8 in Louise Fawcett International Relations of the Middle East (Reserve)
  2. Anna Seleny, Tradition, Modernity, and Democracy: The Many Promises of Islam, Perspectives on Politics, Vol. 4, No. 3 (Sep., 2006), pp. 481-494. (Blackboard)

Week 5 (week of October 2nd)

The Regional System of the Middle East I
1.  Raymond Hinnebusch, International Relations of the Middle East, Ch. 3.
2.  Raymond Hinnebusch, International Relations of the Middle East, Ch.4.

3.  Michael N. Barnett, Sovereignty, Nationalism, and Regional Order in the Arab States System, International Organization, Vol. 49, No. 3. (Summer, 1995), pp. 479-510. (Blackboard)

Week 6 (week of October 9th)

October 12 is the deadline for turning in term paper proposal

The Regional System of the Middle East II

1.  Paul Nobel, From Arab System to Middle Eastern System? Regional pressures and constraints, in Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hilal Dessouki (eds.), The Foreign Policy of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, pp. 67-165 (Reserve)

2.  Marina Ottaway, The New Middle East, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2008. (Blackboard)

  1. Elizabeth Monier, The Arabness of Middle East regionalism: the Arab Spring and competition for discursive hegemony between Egypt, Iran and Turkey. Contemporary Politics, 2014 Vol. 20, No. 4, 421–434. (Blackboard)

Week 7 (week of October 16th)

The Impact of the International System on the Middle East

Readings:

  1. Raymond Hinnebusch, The Middle East regional system, Ch. 2 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.), The Foreign Policy of Middle East States pp. 29-53. (Reserve)
2.  Raymond Hinnebusch, International Relations of the Middle East, Ch. 2.

3.  Peter Sluglett, The Cold War in the Middle East,Ch. 2 in Louise Fawcett (Reserve),

4.  Raymond Hinnebusch, Globalization, democratization, and the Arab uprising: the international factor in MENA’s failed democratization. Democratization 2015, pp. 335-357. (Blackboard)

Week 8 (week of October 23rd)

The Arab Israeli Conflict I

1.  Raymond Hinnebusch, International Relations of the Middle East, Ch. 5.

2.  Charles Smith, The Arab-Israeli conflict, Ch. 11 in Fawcett (Reserve)

  1. Avi Shlaim, The rise and fall of the Oslo peace process, Ch. 12. in Fawcett (Reserve)
  2. Clive Jones, The foreign policy of Israel, Ch. 6 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) The Foreign Policy of Middle East States (pp. 115-140) (Reserve)
  3. Meir Litvak, The Islamization of the Arab Israeli Conflict: The case of Hamas, Middle Eastern Studies, vol 34 (1998) , pp. 148-163 (Blackboard)

Week 9 (week of October 30th)

November 2 is the deadline for turning in the book review

The Arab Israeli Conflict II

  1. Janice Gross Stein, War and Security in the Middle East, Ch. 10. in Fawcett (Reserve)

2.  Basel S. Sallough, The Foreign policy of the impossible: The Foregin Policy of Lebanon, in Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hilal Dessouki (eds.), The Foreign Policy of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, pp. 283-318 (Reserve)

3.  Hazem Kandil, The Challenge of Restructuring: Syrian Foreign Policy, in Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hilal Dessouki (eds.), The Foreign Policy of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, pp. 421-456. (Reserve)

4.  Raymond Hinnebusch, The foreign policy of Syria, Ch. 7 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) (pp. 141-166) (Reserve)

Week 10 (week of November 6th)

Oil and The Gulf I

1.  Giacomo Luciani, Oil and political economy in the international relations of the Middle East, Ch. 4 in Fawcett (Reserve)

2.  Charles Tripp, The foreigh policy of Iraq, Ch. 8 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) (Reserve)

3.  F. Gregory Cause III, The foreign policy of Saudi Arabia, Ch. 9 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.), (Reserve)

4.  Anoushiravn Ehteshami, The foreign policy of Iran, Ch. 13 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) (pp. 283-310) (Reserve)

5.  Kayhan Barzegar, Iran's Foreign Policy in Post-Invasion Iraq, Middle East Policy, 2008. (Blackboard)

Week 11 (week of November 13th)

Oil and The Gulf II

  1. F. Gregory Cause, III, The International Politics of the Gulf, Ch. 13 in Fawcett (Reserve)
  2. Juan Cole, A "Shiite Crescent"? The regional impact of the Iraq war, Current History, vol. 105, no. 687 (2006) pp. 20-26 (Blackboard)
  3. Abdul-Monem al-Mashat, Politics of Constructive Engagement: The Foreign Policy of the United Arab Emirates, in Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hilal Dessouki (eds.), The Foreign Policy of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, pp. 457-480 (Reserve)
  4. Raymond Hinnebusch, International Relations of the Middle East, Ch. 7.
  5. Benedetta Berti and Yoel Guzansky, Gulf Monarchies in a Changing Middle East: Is Spring Far Behind? Orbis, November 1014.

Week 12 (week of November 20th)

The US Policy in the Middle East I

1.  Michael C. Hudson. The United States in the Middle East, Ch. 15 in Fawcett (ed.)

2.  Bruce R. Kuniholm, Retrospect and Prospects: Forty Years of US Middle East Policy, Middle East Journal, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Winter, 1987), pp. 7-25. (Blackboard)

3.  John J. Mearsheimer, Stephen M. Walt, The Israel Lobby And U.S. Foreign Policy, Middle East Policy, VOL. XIII, NO. 3, FALL 2006 (Blackboard)

4.  Raymond Hinnebusch, The US invasion of Iraq: Explanations and implications, Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 16, no. 3 (2007) pp. 209-228 (Blackboard)

Week 13 (week of November 27th)

The US Policy in the Middle East II

1.  Philip Robins, The War of Regime Change in Iraq, Ch. 14 in Fawcett (ed.)

2.  Augustus Richard Norton, The Puzzle of Political Reform in the Middle East, Ch. 6 in Fawcett (ed.)

  1. Katerina Dalacoura, US Democracy promotion in the Arab Middle East since 9/11: A Critique, International Affairs, 2005. (Blackboard)

4.  Thomas Carothers, U.S. Democracy Promotion During and After Bush, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2007. (Blackboard)

5.  Robert J. Pranger, The Arab Spring: America's Search for Relevancy, Mediterranean Quarterly, Volume 22, Number 4, Fall 2011, pp. 20-35 (Blackboard)

6.  Daniel S. Morey et. al., Leader, Follower, or Spectator? The Role of President Obama in the Arab Spring Uprisings, SOCIAL SCIENCE QUARTERLY, Volume 93, Number 5, December 2012 (Blackboard)

Week 14 (week of December 4th)

December 10 is the deadline for turning in the term paper

The EU Policy in the Middle East and North Africa

1.  Rosemary Hollis, Europe in the Middle East, Ch. 16 in Fawcett (ed.)

2.  Volker Perthes, Points of Differences, Cases for Cooperation: European Critiques of US Middle East Policy, Middle East Report, No. 208 (Autumn 1998), pp. 30-32. (Blackboard)

3.  Volker Perthes, Europe and the Arab Spring, Survival | vol. 53 no. 6 | December 2011–January 2012, pp. 73–84 (Blackboard)

4.  Roland Freudenstein, The Arab Spring: what’s in it for us? European View (2011) 10:67–72 (Blackboard)

5.  Jennifer Ruzenblum and William Zartman, The far West of the Near East: The foreign policy of Morocco, in Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hilal Dessouki (eds.), The Foreign Policy of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, pp. 319-342 (Reserve)

6.  Emma C. Murphy, The foreign policy of Tunisia, Ch. 11 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) (pp. 235-256) (Reserve)

Week 15 (week of December 11th)

Turkey’s Changing policy

Readings:

1.  Philip Robins, The foreign policy of Turkey, Ch. 14 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) (pp. 311-334) (Reserve)

2.  Stephen Larrabee, Turkey Rediscovers the Middle East, Foreign Affairs, Jul/Aug2007. (Blackboard)

3.  Tarik Oguzlu, Turkey and Europeanization of Foreign Policy?, Political Science Quarterly Volume 125 Number 4 2010-11 (Blackboard)

4.  Tarik Oğuzlu, Middle Easternization of Turkey’s Foreign Policy: Does Turkey Dissociate from the West? Turkish Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, 3–20, March 2008 (Blackboard)

5.  Yasar Yakis, Turkey after the Arab Spring: Policy Dilemma, 2014 (Blackboard)

Week 16 (week of December 18th)

Summing-up and the Way Ahead

1.  Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hillal Dessouki, Conclusion: Foreign Policy, Globalization and the Arab Dilemama of Change, in Bahgat Korany and Ali E. Hilal Dessouki (eds.), The Foreign Policy of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization, pp. 481-492 (Reserve)

2.  Clement Henry, The Clash of Globalization in the Middle East, Ch. 5 in Fawcett (ed.)

3.  Raymond Hinnebusch and Anoushiravan Ehteshami, Conclusion: Patterns of policy, Ch. 15 in Hinnebusch and Ehteshami (ed.) (pp. 335-350) (Reserve)

4.  F. Gregory Gause, III, and Ian S. Lustick, America and the Regional Powers in a Transforming Middle East, Middle East Policy, 2012 (Blackboard)

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