Governments and Politics of the Middle East

Associate Adjunct Professor: Elie Chalala Santa Monica College, Spring 2015 Political Science 14/Section 3093 Meeting Place & Time: HSS 155, 12:45-2: 05 pm Office Hours (HSS 379): Tuesdays from 10:00-11:00 AM Tel: (310) 434-8995 (voicemail) E-Mail chalala_elie@smc.edu Website http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala_elie Governments and Politics of the Middle East Some of the many current conflicts and issues that characterize Middle East politics include the victories and the setbacks of the various popular uprisings commonly known as the "Arab Spring" in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Syria (with Libya in almost a state of chaos, while the post- Arab Spring Yemen has been overtaken by a militia-coup, and the Syrian conflict becoming increasingly bloody and nearing the 200,00 casualties count), the aftermath of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the long-sought ostensible attempt to bring democracy to the Middle East, the Arab and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, and fears of chemical and nuclear proliferation. How do we think about these and other developments? What is the current nature of governments in the region? This course offers a comparative study of governments in the Middle East, with special emphasis on the relationship between domestic and international conflicts in countries like Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran. Using different theoretical approaches, we will look at governmental structures, particularly in relation to issues of war and peace. Students will learn to place the current Middle East state system in the context of historical, political, and ideological forces that led to its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and how it starts to crumble 100 years later, with the Rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. This course will be organized as follows: weeks 1 through 4 will consist of lectures and PowerPoint presentations serving as a general background and introduction to the politics of the region, supplemented by the historical background needed for understanding Mideast politics in a series of online Middle East Timelines spanning from the birth of Prophet Muhammad to the present, and readings to be included in either a Mideast Politics Reader available for sale at production cost (or in class handouts at no cost to you), and the first chapter in the required text book, The Modern Middle East, by Mehran Kamrava. Topics to which you will be introduced include geography, demography, economy, conflict, and religion. The remaining part of the course will present an indepth examination of both the historical context in which the modern Middle East emerged and the various critical issues facing the region today. Those issues include the state system, political and military conflicts, economic development, dictatorships, the prospect of democratization and the "Arab Spring," broadly defined as the many political uprisings against long decades of corrupt and authoritarian regimes. STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE: Each class meeting will be divided between lectures and discussions on contemporary issues in Mideast politics. Lectures will be accompanied by PowerPoint presentations. In-class discussions will be based on handouts of articles on Middle East politics and conflicts from leading publications to be assigned in advance and posted online or handed in during class 1

sessions. There will be three in-class examinations, including the final, as well as two take-home written assignments (three pages each). The first in-class exam is objective (multiple choice & true and false), worth 20 points; the second is objective and subjective (short essays and definitions), worth 30 points; the third, a final, is both objective and subjective, worth 40 points. The guidelines of the first and second take-home written assignments will be distributed in class after the first exam. Each assignment is worth 5 points. This brings your total up to 100 points. The grading system for this class is as follows: the grade of A begins at 88; B at 78; C at 68; and D at 58. The course also provides you with the opportunity to earn an additional 8 points over the 100. This opportunity is in the form of 4 unannounced quizzes (each is worth 2 points; they are multiple choice & true and false) which can be given at anytime during the class and will cover the materials discussed up to and including the day of the quiz. Since these quizzes are not part of the basic course assignments, there will be no makeup or substitute assignments if they are missed. Finals will be given on scheduled dates--no early or late finals will be given due to travel plans or any other reason. (Attendance is a must in this class. Absences exceeding four meetings will result in your being dropped from the class). In-class exams require a SCANTRON form #882 and a No. 2 pencil. It is advised that you keep enough stock of scantron forms for the four extra pop quizzes which will be given without notice. DROPPING THE CLASS STILL REMAINS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. Student Class Self-Drop Deadlines MARCH 1, 2015 - "Avoid W" Drops MAY 17, 2015 - Student is Guaranteed a W Grade Class Census Day: MARCH 2, 2015 REQUIRED TEXTBOOK Mehran Kamrava, The Modern Middle East, A Political History Since the First World War, 3 n edition (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013). Background : Roger Owen, State, Power and Politics in the Making of the Modem Middle East, 2 nd edition (London and New York: Routledge, 2000; reprint 2002). Fred Halliday, The Middle East in International Relations (Cambridge University Press, 2005). Michael N. Barnett, Dialogues in Arab Politics (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998) Michael Field, Inside the Arab World (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994). Michael C. Hudson, Arab Politics: the Search for Legitimacy (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1977). Bahgat Korany and Ali Dessouki, eds. The Foreign Policies of Arab States (Boulder, Co: Westview Press, 1984). Malcolm Kerr, The Arab Cold War (London: Oxford University Press, 1971) Roy Anderson et al. Politics and Change in the Middle East (New York: Prentice Hall, 2001 Edward Said, Orientalism (New York: Colombia University Press, 1977) L. Carl Brown, International Politics and the Middle East (Princeton, NJ: University of Princeton Press, 1984). Emory C. Bogle, The Modern Middle East, From Imperialism to Freedom, 1800-1958 (Prentice Hall, 1996). Bernard Lewis, The Emergence of Modern Turkey, 3 rd edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002). William L. Cleveland, A History of the Modern Middle East, 2nd ed (Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000). 2

WEEK ONE Defining the Middle East The Literature on Studying the Middle East Historical, political, cultural and geographical background Part I Lebanon Syria Israel Palestine Jordan Iraq for Lebanon: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14647308 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35833.htm for Syria: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703856 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3580.htm for Israel and the Palestinian Territories: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14628835 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3581.htm http://www.state.gov/p/nea/ci/pt/ for Jordan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14631981 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3464.htm for Iraq http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14542954 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/6804.htm WEEK TWO Historical, political, cultural and geographical background Part II Kuwait Saudi Arabia 3

Yemen Egypt Sudan Algeria Libya for Kuwait http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14644252 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35876.htm for Saudi Arabia http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14702705 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm for Yemen http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14704951 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35836.htm for Egypt http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13313370 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5309.htm for Sudan http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14094995 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5424.htm for Algeria http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14118852 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/8005.htm for Libya http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13754897 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5425.htm 4

"Diversity of the Middle East: Ethnicity, Communal Identity, and Authority" (From Mideast Politics Reader) WEEK THREE Historical, political, cultural and geographical background Part III United Arab Emirates Qatar Oman Morocco Tunisia Iran Turkey for UAE http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14703998 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5444.htm for Qatar http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14702226 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm for Oman http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35834.htm http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/35834.htm for Morocco http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14121438 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5431.htm for Tunisia http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-14107241 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5439.htm for Iran http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-14541327 5

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5314.htm for Turkey http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432.htm "Introduction to the Geography and Historical Background of the Middle East" (Mideast Politics Reader) WEEK FOUR The Rise and Role of Islam about Islam "The Life of the Prophet, the Spread of Islam" (Mideast Politics Reader) "The Shi'i Muslims and their Historical Development" (From Mideast Politics Reader) Medieval Expansion of Islam (From Mideast Politics Reader) Ancient Middle East Timeline http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/neareast.html Early Islam http://acc.teachmideast.org/timeline.php?module_id=3&category_id=1 A time-line of the Arabs, the Turks and the Persians http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/arabic.html Islamic Dynasties until the ascendancy of the Ottomans http://acc.teachmideast.org/timeline.php?module_id=3&category_id=2 The Ottoman Empire http://acc.teachmideast.org/timeline.php?module_id=3&category_id=3 WEEK FIVE Modern Middle East "Colonial and Post Colonial Periods. The Rise of Colonial Interests"(From Mideast Politics Reader) "Revivalism and Reform Movements within Islam." (From Mideast Politics Reader) From Islam to the Great War, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 1 Modern Middle East Timeline http://www.scaruffi.com/politics/middleea.html http://acc.teachmideast.org/timeline.php?module_id=3&category_id=4 6

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/timeline/text/time2.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/timeline/text/time3.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/timeline/text/time4.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/timeline/text/time5.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/globalconnections/mideast/timeline/text/time6.html WEEK SIX FIRST EXAMINATION THE EMERGENCE OF THE MODERN STATE SYSTEM THE COLONIAL STATE From Territories to Independent States, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 2. WEEK SEVEN NATIONALISMS--ARAB NATIONALISM AND ZIONISM The Age of Nationalism from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 3. Elie Chalala, Arab Nationalism: A Bibliographic Essay in Pan-Arabism and Arab Nationalism: The Continuing Debate (Boulder: Westview Press, 1987) or Central Issues In The Debate On Arab Nationalism In The Nineteenth And Twentieth Centuries, JUSUR Vol. 2 (1986). http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala_elie/documents/arabnationalism.pdf WEEK EIGHT THE ARAB-ISRAELI WARS The Arab-Israeli Wars from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 4. WEEK NINE THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION The Iranian Revolution from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 5 WEEK TEN THE GULF WARS The Gulf Wars and Beyond, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 6 -- Syria s Support of Iran in the Gulf War: The Role of Structural Change and the Emergence of a Relatively Strong State. Journal of Arab Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 2 (1988) 7

http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala%5felie/documents/iraniraqwarmay2508.pdf "Iraq s Invasion of Kuwait Exposes Political and Social Contradictions in The Arab World," by Elie Chalala. http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala_elie/documents/arabreaction.pdf Elie Chalala, In the Gulf, A Shifting of Power Is Underway, The International Herald Tribune, August 27-28, 1988. http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala%5felie/reading/shifting%20power%20is%20under%20way%20 May%2025%2008.pdf WEEK ELEVEN SECOND EXAMINATION STATE AND OPPOSITION States and Their Opponents from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 7 Elie Chalala, Arab Dictatorships:The Long and Winding Road Toward Democratic Reform in Baathist Syria and Iraq in Essays on Arab Culture and Politics by Elie Chalala. http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala%5felie/reading/arab%20dictatorships%20may%2025%2008.pdf -- In Algeria s Killing Fields: A Hidden Governmental Role, in Essays on Arab Culture and Politics by Elie Chalala http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala_elie/reading/algerian%20killing%20fields%20may%2025%200 8.pdf WEEK TWELVE Repression and Revolution "Repression and Rebellion" from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 8. The Arab Spring--The Original Arab Revolution," by Elie Chalala, Al Jadid Magazine, Vol. 16, n. 63. http://www.aljadid.com/content/arab-spring%e2%80%94-original-arab-revolution WEEK THIRTEEN PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 9 Elie Chalala, Generations of Catastrophe: The Palestine Problem at Half a Century in Al Jadid magazine, Vol. 4, no. 23 (Spring 1998). http://aljadid.com/features/0423catas.html and http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala%5felie/reading/generations-of- Catastrophe%20May%2025%2008.pdf 8

Elie Chalala, Syrian Policy in Lebanon, 1976-1984: A Course of Ruthless Caution, Journal of Arab Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring 1985), pp. 67-88. http://homepage.smc.edu/chalala%5felie/reading/syrian_policy_in_lebanon_may_25_08.pdf WEEK FOURTEEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM The Challenge of Economic Development, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 10 WEEK FIFTEEN NEW CHALLENGES FACING THE MIDDLE EAST The Challenges Facing the Middle East from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 11. WEEK SIXTEEN FINAL EXAMINATION Final Exam is scheduled for June 9-16, 2015 More readings will be posted on the homepage of this class later in the course. 9