Governments and Politics of the Middle East

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1 Elie Chalala: Associate Adjunct Professor Santa Monica College/Spring 2010 Political Science 14, Section 2878 Office (HSS 379) Hours: by Appointment Meeting Place: HSS :45PM-02:05 PM TTh Tel: (310) (voice mail) Website Governments and Politics of the Middle East The aftermath of the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the goal of spreading democracy in the Middle East, the question of two-states, Israeli and Palestinian, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, are just some of the current conflicts and issues that characterize Middle East politics. How do we think about these and other developments? What is the current nature of governments in the region? This course is a comparative study of governments in the Middle East, with special emphasis on countries like Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran. Using different theoretical approaches, the course looks at governmental structures and considers issues of political stability in the face of internal opposition and external pressures on states in the region. Instruction places 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. This course will be organized as follows: The first through the fourth week will consist of lectures and PowerPoint presentations serving as an introduction to the politics of the region. The current and historical background for understanding Mideast politics is covered by one of your required textbooks, The Middle East by William J. Spencer, and by the first chapter in the second required text book, The Modern Middle East, by Mehran Kamrava, and by a Middle East Time Line handout from the birth of Prophet Muhammad to the present. The remaining major part of the course will present both the historical context in which the modern Middle East emerged and the various critical issues facing the region today, such as the state system, political and military conflicts, economic development, dictatorships, and the prospect of democratization. STRUCTURE AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE: Each class meeting will be divided between lectures, discussions on contemporary issues in Middle East politics, and occasional documentaries and films. Lectures will be accompanied by PowerPoint presentations and general outlines of lecture themes to be distributed before each lecture. In-class discussions will be based on handouts of articles on past and current events and conflicts in the Middle East from leading publications to be distributed in class. There will be three in-class examinations, including the final, two take-home written assignments (three pages each). The first in-class exam is objective (multiple choice & true and false), worth 25 points; the second is objective and subjective (short essays and definitions), worth 30 points; the third, a final, is both objective and subjective, worth 35 points. The first take-home written assignment is a research essay worth 5 points; the second, part of the final, is an essay based on assigned readings. 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 10 points over the 100. This opportunity is in the form of 5 unannounced quizzes (each is worth 2 points; they are multiple choice & true and false) which can be given at anytime during the course (or the period during which the class meets) 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. (Attendance is a must in this class. Absences exceeding three meetings will result in dropping you from class). In-class exams require a SCANTRON form #882 and a No. 2 pencil. DROPPING THE CLASS REMAINS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. 1

2 The two take-home written assignments differ from each other. The first is in the form of a research essay. For the paper to be accepted and graded, a one-page statement about the topic, thesis, and sources to be used is required. Only when the statement is approved, you can start writing the threepage research essay. A guideline handout on how to write the assignments will be distributed in class. You can earn five points from this assignment. The second take-home assignment, which is due in the last week of classes, will be the take-home part of the final examination, and will also enable you to earn five points. More about it will be discussed as we approach the last week of classes. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS Mehran Kamrava, The Modern Middle East, A Political History Since the First World War (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005). William J. Spencer, The Middle East,12 th Ed., McGraw-Hill, 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, (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). WEEK ONE Defining the Middle East The Literature on Studying the Middle East Lebanon (The Lebanese Republic) Syria (Syrian Arab Republic) Israel (State of Israel) West Bank and Gaza (Palestine) : The Middle East by William J. Spencer WEEK TWO Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) Iraq (Republic of Iraq) Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) 2

3 Yemen (Republic of Yemen) Kuwait (State of Kuwait) Egypt (Arab Republic of Egypt) Algeria (People s Democratic Republic of Algeria) Libya (Socialist People s Libyan Arab Jamahiriyya) Sudan (Republic of the Sudan) : The Middle East by William J. Spencer WEEK THREE United Arab Emirates Qatar (State of Qatar) Oman (Sultanate of Oman) Morocco (Kingdom of Morocco) Tunisia (Republic of Tunisia) Turkey (Republic of Turkey) Iran (Islamic Republic of Iran) WEEK FOUR The Role of Islam From Islam to the Great War, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 1 The Middle East: Theater of Conflict, from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer The Middle East: Heartland of Islam, from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer Middle East Time Line handout WEEK FIVE THE EMERGENCE OF THE MODERN STATE SYSTEM THE COLONIAL STATE From Territories to Independent States, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 2. WEEK SIX FIRST EXAMINATION 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).* WEEK SEVEN THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT The Arab-Israeli Wars from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 4. 3

4 WEEK EIGTH THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION The Iranian Revolution from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 5 A New Day in Iran, by Afshin Molavi, Smithonian from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer. WEEK NINE THE GULF WARS The Gulf Wars and Beyond, from The Modern Middle East, Chp 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) -- Iraq s Invasion of Kuwait and Socio-Political Contradictions in the Arab World, Middle East Focus, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Spring 1991). Elie Chalala, In the Gulf, A Shifting of Power Is Underway, The International Herald Tribune, August 27-28, May%2025%2008.pdf WEEK TEN PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 7 Elie Chalala, Generations of Catastrophe: The Palestine Problem at Half a Century in Al Jadid magazine, Vol. 4, no. 23 (Spring 1998). Catastrophe%20May%2025%2008.pdf Elie Chalala, Syrian Policy in Lebanon, : A Course of Ruthless Caution, Journal of Arab Affairs, Vol. 4, No. 1 (Spring 1985), pp Time for a Bi-National State, by Leila Farsakh, Le Monde Diplomatique--from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer SECOND EXAMINATION WEEK ELEVEN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM The Challenge of Economic Development, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 8 Fearful of Restive Foreign Labor, Dubai Eyes Reforms, by Jason DeParle, The New York Times--from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer. 4

5 WEEK TWELVE STATE AND OPPOSITION States and Their Opponents from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 9. 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 Many Causes Underlie Assassinations of Algerian Journalists and Intellectuals;Why Death of a Nation s Conscience Has Met With Cold Indifference -- In Algeria s Killing Fields: A Hidden Governmental Role, in Essays on Arab Culture and Politics by Elie Chalala 8.pdf Guns and Votes, by The Economist-- from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer WEEK THIRTEEN THE PROSPECTS FOR DEMOCRATIZATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST The Question of Democracy, from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 10 Egypt Vote Shows Unease with Democracy, by Dan Murphy, The Christian Science Monitor-- from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer WEEK FOURTEEN THE QUESTION OF COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY Bernard Lewis, Islam and Liberal Democracy A Historical Overview, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 7, no. 2 (April 1996), pp Robin Wright, Islam and Liberal Democracy Two Visions of Reformation, Journal of Democracy, Vol. 7, no. 2 (April 1996), pp WEEK FIFTEENTH NEW CHALLENGES FACING THE MIDDLE EAST The Challenges Facing the Middle East from The Modern Middle East, Chp. 11. The Human Rights of Women and Social Transformation in the Arab Middle East, by Hayat Alvi, MERIA Journal-- from The Middle East, by William J. Spencer WEEK SIXTEEN FINAL EXAMINATION *These readings will be distributed in class. 5