INAF-243 The US and the Middle East

Faculty:

Shehata, Samer

INAF 243 examines the relationship between the United States and the Middle East from 1945 to the present, with a particular focus on the ongoing tension between long term interests and short term expediency in U.S. policy. For the purposes of this course, the Middle East is defined as extending from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east (Turkey, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will not be covered in depth). The primary aim of the course is to enhance students' ability to understand and interpret new developments in U.S. relations with the Middle East and to reflect on major policy questions. The course is organized according to topics related to U.S. involvement in the region: early U.S.encounters and the context of European colonialism; petroleum; the Arab-Israeli conflict; terrorism; Gulf security; and democracy and reform. The course will also explore U.S. relations with key states including Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Iran. Class sessions will be divided into lecture and discussion; in addition there will be exercises in which students write and debate short papers on current policy topics. There will be several guest lecturers, including foreign diplomats, scholars,and U.S. officials.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: None

Other academic years
There is information about this course number in other academic years:

• 2005-2006 Fall and Spring
• 2009-2010 Fall and Spring
• 2010-2011 Fall and Spring
• 2012-2013 Fall and Spring
• 2013-2014 Fall and Spring

More information
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