BOGAZICI UNIVERSITY
SUMMER 2015
International Politics of the Middle East
Dr Omar Ashour
Email: O.Ashour@ex.ac.uk
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The aims of the course are to provide a general survey of the international politics of the
Middle East and North Africa, the political dynamics of key states, the politics of
transnational non-state actors, foreign policy decision-making and causes of major
conflicts.
On completion of the module, you should be able to demonstrate:
Module-specific skills: Understanding of international relations trends in the region and
the foreign policies of major states within it; ability to place contemporary political
events in social and historical contexts.
Personal and key skills: Synthesizing information from various sources into a coherent
written argument; communication skills; team-work.
How will we go about this?
The way the module works is through a combination of lectures, guided seminar
discussions, including group brainstorming and documentaries. Student presentations and
seminar discussions generally follow a related general, introductory lecture. Then
watching a documentary on the topic of discussion will follow.
So, you will generally have an introductory lecture. It will be followed by a seminar,
where students will present and discuss the topic at hand. Then a documentary will be
played.
MAIN TEXTS
Fawcett, L., (ed.). “The International Relations of the Middle East.” Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 2013.
ONLINE SOURCES
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Students are encouraged to follow regional events via the
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm)
and/or
(http://english.aljazeera.net) and/or other news websites.
BBC News
al-Jazeera
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
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Active participation (10%)
2 x oral presentations on a pre-scheduled topic in the seminars (15% each)
One 2000-word essay on a topic of choice (60%)
1) DEADLINE is 21 July 2015 (during class time)
The Essay
It is important that you observe what are called “ACADEMIC CONVENTIONS” on
giving source references.
Advice: Essay-writing & citation
 See the Chicago Manual of Style citation guide (available online through Google)
 See this webpage: http://www.ssdd.uce.ac.uk/learner/Writing%20index.htm
 See the numerous advice books on essay-writing available in the University
Bookstore or on Amazon. I would recommend:
o K. Turabian, Student’s Guide for Writing College Papers, 3rd edition. (1976)
Finally, please do not hesitate to ask, if there is anything at all that is not clear, or if you
have difficulties with the literature or certain concepts. Do not leave your questions or
worries for later!
COURSE OUTLINE
Week of 15 June
Lecture
 Introduction
 The Arab Uprisings: The New International Politics of the Middle East
Readings
 Fred Lawson, “International Relations Theory and the Middle East,” (Fawcett,
Ch. 1).
 “Reflections on Arab Uprisings,” POMED
http://pomeps.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/POMEPS_Studies_10_Reflections_web1.pdf
 Gregory Gause, “Is This the End of Sykes-Picot?” Washington Post, May 20,
2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/05/20/is-this-theend-of-sykes-picot/
Week of 22 June
Lecture 1
2

The Historical Context: Colonial Legacies and Post-Independence
Readings:
 Eugene Rogan, “Emergence of Middle East into a Modern State System”
(Fawcett, Ch. 2).
 Peter Sluglett, “The Cold War in the Middle East” (Fawcett, Ch.3)
 Bahgat Korany, “The Middle East since the Cold War” (Fawcett, Ch. 4)
Recommended:
 Mohammed Ayoob, “The Arab Spring: It’s Geostrategic Significance,” Middle
East Policy 19. 3 (Fall 2012): 84-97.
Documentary: TBA
Lecture 2
 Egypt: Foreign Policy from Nasser to Sisi
Reading:
 Haber and Ighani, “Egypt Foreign Policy After the Revolution,” IMES Paper
Series
https://www.gwu.edu/~imes/assets/docs/Capstone%20Papers%20%202013/Capstone_Ighani%20and%20Haber.pdf
 Laura James, “Nasser and his Enemies,”
http://www.rubincenter.org/meria/2005/06/Laura%20James%20pdf.pdf
 Maringolo, “From Morsi to Sisi”
http://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/inegypt_08.pdf
Recommended Short Readings:
1. Ashour, Omar. “Disarming Egypt’s Militarized State.” Project Syndicate, 18 July
2013.
http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/disarming-egypt-s-militarizedstate-by-omar-ashour
2. ___________. “Egypt: A Return to a Generals’ Republic?” BBC Online, 21
August 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-23780839
Documentary: TBA
Week of 29 June
Lectures 1 and 2
 Arab-Israeli Wars and Peace Process
Readings:
 Benin, J. “Palestine, Israel and Arab-Israeli Conflict.”
http://www.merip.org/sites/default/files/Primer_on_PalestineIsrael%28MERIP_February2014%29final.pdf
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Charles Smith, “The Arab-Israeli Conflict” (Fawcett, Ch. 11)
Avi Shlaim, “The Rise and Fall of Oslo” (Fawcett, Ch. 12)
Yuval Diskin, “The changing face of the Middle East presents new opportunities
for Israeli-Palestinian peace,” Ha’aretz, 6 July 2014
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-peaceconference/1.601486
Documentary: TBA
Week of 6 July
Lecture 1:
 The Iraqi Conflicts
Readings:
 Philip Robins, “The War for Regime Change in Iraq” (Fawcett, Ch. 15)
 Safa Rasul al-Sheikh & Emma Sky, “Iraq since 2003: Perspectives on a Divided
Society,” Survival, 53, 4 (2011): 119-142.
https://www.iiss.org/en/publications/survival/sections/2011-2760/survival-global-politics-and-strategy-august-september-2011-66cf/53-4-10-al-sheikh-andsky-3b0f
 “ISIS and Sectarian Conflict in the Middle East.” UK Parliament Briefing, March
2015.
www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/rp15-16.pdf
Documentary: TBA
Lecture 2:
 The International Dimensions of the Syrian Conflict
Readings:
 Jenkins, Brian. “They Dynamics of Syrian Civil War.” Rand, 2014
http://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE115.html
 Mujge Kucukkeles, “Arab League’s Syrian Policy,” SETA Policy Brief No. 56
(April 2012).
http://setadc.org/pdfs/SETA_Policy_Brief_No_56_Arab_Leagues_Syrian_Policy.
pdf
 Lister, Charles. “Why Assad is losing.” Brookings Briefings, May 2015
http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2015/05/05-assad-losing-syria-lister
 POMES, “The Political Science of Syria’s War,” December 2013.
http://pomeps.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/12/POMEPS_BriefBooklet22_PoliSciSyria_Web.pdf
Recommended Reading:
 Lister, Charles. “Assessing Syria’s Jihad.” Survival (January 2014).
http://www.iiss.org/en/publications/survival/sections/2014-4667/survival--global-politicsand-strategy-december-2014-january-2015-bf83/56-6-07-lister-7c78
Documentary: TBA
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Week of 13 July
Lecture 1:
 Libya: The Regional Power Struggle Dimension
Readings:
 Cole, et al. Libyan Revolution and Its Aftermath, Chapters 1, 5 and 6.
 Wehrey, F. “Ending Libya’s Civil War.”
http://carnegieendowment.org/files/ending_libya_civ_war.pdf
 Fitzgerald, Mary. “Libya’s New Powerbrokers.” Foreign Policy, 27 August 2014.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/08/27/libyas_new_power_brokers_ai
rstrikes_egypt_uae
 Fitzgerald, Mary. “Libya’s Rouge War on Terror.” Foreign Policy, 23 June 2014.
http://mary-fitzgerald.com/2014/06/23/libyas-rogue-war-on-terror-foreign-policy/
Documentary: TBA
Lecture 2:
 Non-State Actors: The Foreign Fighters Phenomenon in the Middle East
Readings:
 Hegghammer, Thomas. “The Rise of Muslim Foreign Fighters.” International
Security.Volume 35, Number 3 (Winter 2010/11).
http://www.trackingterrorism.org/sites/default/files/chatter/The%20Rise%20of%2
0Muslim%20Foreign%20Fighters_%20Islam%20and%20the%20Globalization%
20of%20Jihad.pdf
 Hafez, Moh. “Jihad after Iraq: Lessons from the Arab Afghan.” Studies in
Conflict & Terrorism, 32, no. 2 (2009): 73-94.
http://www.start.umd.edu/publication/jihad-after-iraq-lessons-arab-afghans
 Kardas, Tuncay et al. “The Making of European Foreign Fighters.” SETA,
October 2014.
http://file.setav.org/Files/Pdf/20141008132806_the-making-of-european-foreignfighters-pdf.pdf
 Malet, David. “Foreign Fighter Mobilization in Global Context.” Terrorism and
Political Violence, May 2015.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09546553.2015.1032151
Documentary: TBA
Week of 20 July
Lecture 1
 Unarmed Islamists and International Politics of the Middle East
Readings:
 Fawcett (Ch. 8)
 Augustus Richard Norton, “The Puzzle of Political Reform in the Middle East,”
(Fawcett, Ch. 6)
 Hamid, Shadi. “The Rise of Islamists: How Islamists will Change Politics and
Vice Versa.” Foreign Affairs, (May/June 2011):
http://0www.heinonline.org.lib.exeter.ac.uk/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/fora90&id=
446&collection=journals&index=journals/fora
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 Mccants, Will. “Al-Qaeda’s Challenge: the Jihadists’ War with Islamist
Democracy.” Foreign Affairs, vol. 90 (2011).
http://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/fora90&div=85&g_sent=1
&collection=journals
 Al-Sharif, Ashraf. “The Muslim Brotherhood and the Future of Political Islam in
Egypt.”
http://carnegieendowment.org/files/mb_future_egypt1.pdf
Documentary: TBA
Lecture 2
 Armed Islamists and International Politics of the Middle East
Readings:
 Fulton, Will, Joseph Holliday, and Sam Wyer. “Iranian Strategy in Syria.”
Institute for the Study of War’s Middle East Security Report, no.6, March 2013
http://www.understandingwar.org/report/iranian-strategy-syria
 Lister, Charles, “Profiling the Islamic State.” Brookings Papers.
http://www.brookings.edu/research/reports2/2014/12/profiling-islamic-state-lister
 Daniel Byman, “Five Myths about the Islamic State [ISIS],” Washington Post
July 6, 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-the-islamicstate/2014/07/03/f6081672-0132-11e4-8572-4b1b969b6322_story.html
 Zelin, Aaron. “The War Between IS and al-Qaida.”
http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/uploads/Documents/pubs/ResearchNote_20_
Zelin.pdf
 “ISIS Global Intel Summary”
http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/INTSUM_Summary_update.
pdf
Documentary: TBA
Week of 27 July
Lecture 1
 International and Regional Powers: Status-Quo versus Change Forces
Readings:
 Fawcett Ch. 9, Ch. 10.
 Aydin, Mustafa, “The Determinants of Turkish Foreign Policy, and Turkey’s
European Vocation,” The Review of International Affairs. 3, no. 2 (Winter 2003):
306 – 331.
 Ulrichsen, K. “Qatar and the Arab Spring.”
http://carnegieendowment.org/files/qatar_arab_spring.pdf
 “Turkey and the Arab Spring”
http://file.insightturkey.com/Files/Pdf/insight_turkey_vol_14_no_3_2012_onis.pd
f
 http://pomeps.org/2014/11/04/inter-arab-politics-and-international-relations-inthe-middle-east/
Documentary: TBA
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Lecture 2
 International and Regional Powers: Status-Quo versus Change
Readings:
 Fawcett, Ch. 14.
 Nawaf Obaid, “Saudi Arabia Gets Tough on Foreign Policy,”
Washington Post 25 Oct. 2013.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/saudi-arabia-gets-forceful-on-foreignpolicy/2013/10/24/b037d03e-3c1a-11e3-b7ba-503fb5822c3e_story.html
 “Small State with a Big Role: Qatar and UAE Foreign Policies”
https://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/alsabah/SmallStateswithaBigRole.pdf
 Kamrava, “Arab Spring and Saudi-led Counter-Revolution.”
http://www.fpri.org/docs/media/TheArabSpring.pdf
 Michael C. Hudson,“The United States in the Middle East (Fawcett, Ch. 16)

“Iran’s ISIS Policy.”
http://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/field/field_publication_do
cs/INTA91_1_01_Esfandiary_Tabatabai.pdf
Documentary: TBA
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