Course Description
The Middle East region has been a scene of violent revolutions, coups and rebellions throughout its history. Consequently, particularly since the beginning of the 20th Century, political instability has constituted a major aspect of political life in the region. Many ideologies, including nationalism, Socialism, Islamism, democratic liberalism and modernization theories have inspired political actors to make revolutions from above and from below, or undertake revolutionary reforms or coups in the region. The focus of the course is analytical and throughout the first part of the semester will use the experiences of the Middle East to address some of the central questions of contemporary international relations/political science/economics such as:
• Why do some brutal and highly corrupt political regimes survive for decades in the region?
• What are the determinants of the nature of political systems in the Middle East?
• How does ethnic diversity shape economic development?
• Can some political institutions make politicians more responsive to their citizens?
• What is democracy good for?
• Is nationalism real or “constructed”?
The course will try to answer those questions in general and then specifically in the case of twelve Middle Eastern nations―namely, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
Moreover, in the second half of the semester, this course will help to establish an understanding of Middle Eastern business approaches. Recent years have seen the region experience significant local and foreign investment in infrastructure, business, tourism and industry. Many misconceptions and stereotypes exist to this day about the social and business cultures of the Middle East. By understanding the Middles Eastern counterpart’s true values, attitudes and motivations, it is possible to be more successful on both a personal and professional level.
The main determinants include: geographical/geopolitical; demographic; historical; religious/legal factors; social cleavages and social forces, particularly the role of landed and business classes, new middle classes, working classes, tribes and ethnic groupings, religious establishments and the armies; and last but not least the role of leaders and founding fathers and their political visions and ideologies.
It is important to emphasize that Middle Eastern political systems have also been evolving in reaction to global economic, technological, military and communications developments. So, in addition to the domestic determinants, the impact of the larger world system on the local political systems will also be taken into account.