Post 1979 Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran INAF 549 SPRING 2012 SYLLABUS Day and Time: Tuesday 3-30 to 6-00 PM Instructor: Ambassador Touqir Hussain (Rtd) Tel: 202-663-7776 (at SAIS Johns Hopkins University ) E-mail: th258@georgetown.edu Office hours: Tuesday 2-00 to 3-30 PM Room 514 ICC Course description and objectives: No single year in modern history has had more significant impact on the Islamic world than 1979. Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran were epicenter of the year s history making events whose consequences continue to live among us all. These included the Iranian revolution and the start of three decades of Iranian US tensions, and the execution of an elected Prime Minister by a military dictator in Pakistan setting up the long army rule and process of Islamization. Then the US hostages crisis in Tehran and the burning of the US Embassy in Islamabad signaling the merger of Pakistani and Iranian anti Americanism that began feeding a broader sentiment against the US in the Islamic world. The year ended however with its most consequential event: the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The US-led jihad against the Soviets, assisted by Pakistan, won but ended up as a bitter sweet victory as it laid the foundation of a deadly extremist religious infrastructure that started beating to the rhythm of global Islamic revivalism unleashing forces of radicalism. They had a horrendous impact on the region and on US and global security the most tragic and visible sign of which was 9/11. The course will look at all these dramatic developments and their complex intertwining with local, regional and global issues and challenges. It will examine how Pakistan s national vision, embraced by years of authoritarian rule and deformed democracy, rise of religious orthodoxy, and strategic over extension by its ambitious army led to a weak institutional architecture that collided with its domestic tensions, opening up Pakistan to instability and extremism. The course will study the ongoing war in Afghanistan and the fight against Taliban and Al Qaeda, being waged with the help of nuclear Pakistan that has become both a critical partner and a potential target by opposing sides. And also look at how Afghanistan has endured one of the most devastating conflicts of our time, while simultaneously struggling with the building of political institutions, structures of
governance, vital state institutions, infrastructure and the rural economy. It will study the attempts by Iran at the export of revolution, its nuclear program and looming strategic shadow over the region, and the challenges Iran poses to the US power in the Middle East. The course may thus also be relevant to an extent for those interested in the Middle Eastern studies. The instructor will bring to bear on the course his own expertise and insights as a former Ambassador from Pakistan and Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister where he was associated with full range of Pakistan s foreign policy including relations with Afghanistan. And as a senior diplomat posted in the post 1979 Iran he had the opportunity of meeting regularly the full spectrum of Iranian leadership. Student Participation This is a seminar not a lecture class and its success very much depends on student contribution. Attendance, preparation, and participation are thus essential and will be explicitly noted. Students will be expected to come to the class prepared and will be expected to participate actively in seminar sessions based on their critical understanding of assigned readings. I will introduce, provide context to, and summarize ideas, and will bring my own expertise and insights as a policy practitioner to bear on extensive reading that the students are expected to do. And then we will mostly discuss, debate and brainstorm. Students will be challenged to develop bold and innovative thinking habits and skills. Participation grades will be decided by the quantity and the quality of your contributions. I will encourage the students to see beyond the headlines, and develop critical faculties to discriminate between myth and reality, words and deeds, and perceptions and facts. Clarity of thought and expression in asking good questions but also in writing good analytical papers will be on premium. I will also circulate articles from newspapers and magazines relevant to the course. I also expect all students to share material they have found relevant with me for onward transmission to the class. Credit will be given to those students who can cite relevant books and articles during class discussions. The careful reading and absorption of the material will advance the understanding and comprehension of students Course Requirements and Grading:
Students will be evaluated in three ways: 1. Quality of questions and opinions expressed in the class will play an important role in making the class a stimulating intellectual experience for everyone. As a consequence, class attendance, preparation, and participation in discussions will account for an important part of your grade -- 35 percent of the final grade. 2. Each student will give one class presentation during the course. Students will be free to choose their topics from a wide ranging list provided by me sometime after the fourth or fifth seminar when enough basic ground has been covered and I have also got a fair idea of the students backgrounds and exposure to the issues. The topics will complement the issues that will be the focus of class discussion. These presentations will last for no more than 10-15 minutes each and depending on the number of students in the course will be either one or more per seminar. The class will critically discuss the presentations. The discussion will be moderated by me and I will also ask and raise questions and give my own input to carry forward the discussion. In the light of the discussion the student will then amend if necessary the presentation and submit it to me a final written version of 4-6 pages the following week. The presentations and papers will count for 25 percent of your grade. 3. A well developed research paper which will constitute 40% of the grade. The research paper will make an in depth analysis of the topic selected after its approval by me. The topic will be proposed by the student and approved by the Instructor. The topic encapsulated in a one paragraph outline, should be selected and submitted to me. The paper should be not less than 16 pages (not including the cover page and bibliography) and no more than 20 typed double spaced pages. The topic should be submitted to me by February 28. The paper is due on--- ( the date to be announced in the class). The papers will be graded based on the coherence of their logic, their factual accuracy, and their demonstration of mastery of the materials covered in the course. You must be concise and to the point. There will be no room for fluff in these analyses and thus you should plan on editing them multiple times. General introductory remarks about the instructor s approach to diplomacy, international relations and history. Remarks about the parameters and objectives of the course; explanation of syllabus etc. and how the course will improve the students comprehension of the underlying themes of the course specially the central one : The year 1979 and how it changed the world. BOOKS Required
1.A History of modern Iran Ervand Abrahamian Cambridge University Press 2008 2. Pakistan Between Mosque and Military Hussain Haqqani published by Carnegie Endowment for Peace 2005 3. The Search for al Qaeda: Its Leadership, Ideology, and Future Bruce Riedel, (Washington, DC: Brookings Press, 2008). Recommended 1. Islamization of Pakistan 1979 2009 http://www.mei.edu/portals/0/publications/pakistan%201979-2009.pdf 2. Iranian Revolution at 30 Middle East Institute Washington publication http://www.mei.edu/portals/0/publications/iran_final.pdf 3. Afghanistan 1979-2009 In the grip of conflict published by the Middle East Institute Washington http://www.mei.edu/portals/0/publications/afghanistan%20vp.pdf List of Seminars Seminar # 1.An Introduction to the course General introductory remarks about the instructor s approach to diplomacy, international relations and history. Remarks about the parameters and objectives of the course; explanation of syllabus etc. and how the course will improve the students comprehension of the issues underlying the theme of the course: The year 1979 and how it changed the world. Also a discussion of national interest, rhetoric and reality, ideology and domestic politics as dynamics of making a foreign policy. Seminar#2. The dynamics of global Islamic revivalism
RAND, The Muslim World after 9/11 ( an online publication) Overview Pages 1-52 ISLAM UNDER SEIGE By Akbar S Ahmed published by Polity Press 2003 Introduction and Ch 1 Islam under siege pages 1-46 Ch 2.What is going wrong 46-73 Terrorism in Saudi Arabia: Past and Present http://www.brookings.edu/events/2009/1202_siege_of_mecca.aspx 3. The Iranian Revolution the causes and the effects. A critical examination of major interpretive paradigms employed to explain the 1979 Revolution in Iran. The historical roots and cultural context of religious experience and modes of religious expression in the Persian Shiism. The state, society, and religious establishment in Iran since the mid-century, and the role of major social forces in the revolution. Also discussed will be the role of the Shah, Ayatollah Khomeini, and President Carter in the Revolution. A History of Modern Iran Ervand Abrahamian Ch 6 The Islamic Republic Modern Iran by Nikki Keddie Ch 9 The Revolution 214-239 The Iranian Revolution: Its Global Impact. Esposito, J. L. ed Ch 2 Pages 17-39 Modern Iran by Ali Ansari Ch 8 Revolution, war and the Islamic republic Pages 192 249 4. The fear of the export of revolution and the Saudi Iranian rivalry, the Iran Iraq war. Iran s Islamic revolution on Islamic movements in the Middle East, including Lebanese and Palestinian movements Pakistan as the venue of regional competition and focus of US attention. The Esposito, J. L. ed. Iranian Revolution: Its Global Impact. Ch 3 Pages 40 62
Islamic Republic and the world by Mayram Panah Ch 3 Export of Revolution, Iraq, Palestine and the Gulf Pages 69-75 Ch 8 Revolutionary Foreign Policy and international terrorism Pages 148-162 Ch 9 Conclusion Pages 163-167 5. Islamization of Pakistan -1979-2009 Viewpoints MEI Post 1979 Pakistan: what went wrong Touqir Hussain Abbas, Hassan. Pakistan's Drift into Extremism: Allah, the Army and America's War on Terror. (London: M.E. Sharpe, 2005). 89-177. Fair, C. Christine. "Militant Recruitment in Pakistan." Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 27.6, November/December 2004. Stern, Jessica. "Pakistan's Jihad Culture." Foreign Affairs, November/ December 2000. http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/56633/jessica-stern/pakistans-jihad-culture Lawrence Ziring Pakistan: at the crosscurrent of history Ch6 Islamization PP 163-203 6. US Pakistan relations a brief history Lecture by the instructor 7. Afghanistan war 1979-1989. What it did to Pakistan and Afghanistan. Haqqani Ch 5 Afghan Jihad Pages 159-198 Cost of the Afghanistan war for Pakistan --Hilaly Afghanistan 1979-2009 In the grip of conflict published by the Middle East Institute Washington( select articles to be identified by the instructor) http://www.mei.edu/portals/0/publications/afghanistan%20vp.pdf 8. Afghanistan: the Rise of the Taliban, 1994-2001. And how the stage was set for 9/11
Dorronsoro, Gilles. Revolution Unending: Afghanistan, 1979 to Present. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005). Pages 235-314 Rashid, A. Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil, and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2001: Part 1 History of the Rise of Taliban( Georgetown University Library e-book) Afghanistan 1979-2009 In the grip of conflict published by the Middle East Institute Washington http://www.mei.edu/portals/0/publications/afghanistan%20vp.pdf 9. Al Qaeda: From Its Formation in 1988 to 9/11; the Underlying Causes of the 9/11 Attacks; the ideology and the movement since 9/11 Search for Al Qaeda by Bruce Riedel ( required) What Terrorists Want. By Richardson, Louise. New York: Random House, 2007. 38-103. ( recommended) Gerges, Fawaz. The Far Enemy: Why Jihad Went Global. (New York: Cambridge, 2005). Well researched account of how the global jihadist movement is riven by internecine ideological disputes and petty feuds. P. 185-250.( recommended). 10. US Pakistan relations, the Afghanistan war and the global war on terrorism since 9/11. ( the Bush-Musharaf Years) ( the links to following readings will be provided by the instructor) US Institute of Peace Special Report by Ambassador Touqir Hussain (2005) US Pakistan Engagement: the War on terrorism and Beyond. War on terrorism: where the US went wrong Touqir Hussain Asian Journal of Public Affairs 2007 Dorronsoro, Gilles. Revolution Unending: Afghanistan, 1979 to Present. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2005). Pages 315--356 Cohen, Craig and Derek Chollet. "When $10 billion is not enough: rethinking U.S. strategy toward Pakistan." The Washington Quarterly. Spring 2007. US Pakistan relations: need for a strategic shift MEI policy brief 2008 By Touqir Hussain
11 Obama administration and the region A different approach on war on terrorism, US Pakistan relations, Afghanistan war? Obama s New Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan: will it be tactical or strategic? And is it really a new beginning? Lecture by the instructor And the following readings Deadly Embrace by Bruce Riedel Brookings Institution Press 2011 Pages 119-144 S Akbarzadeh (ed): America's Challenges in the Greater Middle East: The Obama Administration's Policies. Palgrave Macmillan (July 2011) Pakistan: A new beginning? Touqir Hussain Pages -- US Pakistan relations: what trust deficit? Touqir Hussain (Middle East Institute Policy brief the link to be circulated by the author) 12 Obama administration and the region contd Foreign Affairs July/Aug 2010 Defining Success in Afghanistan Stephen Biddle, Fotini Christa and Alexander Thier US strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan by Council on Foreign Relations 2010 ( the link to be provided by the instructor) International Crisis Group report on Afghanistan ( Exit vs Engagement) to be circulated by the instructor Afghanistan at the breaking point by Giles Dorronsoro 2010 http://carnegieendowment.org/files/afghan_break_point.pdf Rubin, Barnett R., and Abubakar Siddique. "Resolving the Pakistan- Afghanistan Stalemate." United States Institute of Peace. Oct. 2006. Web. 10 Nov. 2010. <http://www.usip.org/ publications/resolving-pakistan-afghanistan-stalemate>.
13. The Iran US relations. US and Iran :an Historical Perspective by Saul Baksh http://www.fpri.org/footnotes/1426.200909.bakhash.usiranhistorical.html Sick, G. "The United States and Iran: Truth and Consequences," Contention, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Winter 1996): 59-78. Select Readings ( to be indicated by the instructor) from Iran Primer a brief by Carnegie Endowment for Peace (2011) Iran, the US and the Green Movement Democracy Promotion versus Engagement with Iran By Shahram Akbarzadeh Journal of Contemporary Asia Vol. 41, No. 3, August 2011, pp. 470 482 Lecture by the instructor 14 The Iran US relations. The nuclear question Select Readings from Iran Primer ( to be indicated by the instructor) a brief by Carnegie Endowment for Peace (2011) We can live with a nuclear Iran By Barry R. Posen Published: Monday, February 27, 2006 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/opinion/27iht-edposen.html?_r=1 IRAN S CLENCHED FIST: SHOULD THE UNITED STATES STILL EXTEND ITS HAND?
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/files/ 0723_transcript_iran_election_next1.pdf Nuclear Quagmire with Iran George Perkovich Council on Foreign Relations Interview, November 23, 2009 http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm? fa=view&id=24223 Minimizing Potential Threats from Iran: Assessing Sanctions and Other U.S. Policy Options http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2009/0730_iran_maloney.aspx http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4031603.stm