IR160: The Middle East in Global Politics

Course Content

The course will examine the regional politics of the Middle East since 1918 and their interaction with problems of international security, global resources and great power/superpower/hyperpower policies. It will aim to give students a grounding in the development of international relations of the Middle East so as to enable them to relate events to analytic issues in the study of International Relations. The course will analyse the phenomenon of political Islam by situating its emergence in the context of regional and global politics. It will also deal with more recent developments such as the 2011 Arab uprisings and their consequences.

The principle themes to be addressed will be the following:

• The emergence of the state system in the Middle East
• US policies in the Middle East
• The post-Cold War and post 9/11 periods
• Arab nationalism
• Political Islam 
• The foreign policies of individual states: Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Iran 
• Non-state actors: Hamas, Hizbullah and al Qaeda    
• Middle East conflicts  
• The 2011 Arab Uprisings

Each of the lectures will be followed by a discussion class on a topic drawn from the lecture and readings. Active student participation is encouraged.

Texts*

F. Halliday, The Middle East in International Relations: Power, Politics and Ideology, Cambridge University Press (2005).

R. Hinnebusch, & A. Ehteshami,(eds), The Foreign Policies of Middle East States, Lynne Rienner (new edition 2014).

*A more detailed reading list will be supplied prior to the start of the programme

**Course content, faculty and dates may be subject to change without prior notice