NORTH GREENVILLE COLLEGE
History 4310
Spring 2006
Special Topics: The United States and the
Middle East: 1914 to the present
Dr. Jeffery B. Cook, Ph.D.
Office: 209 White Hall
Office Hours: M 9-12:00; TR 12:20-1:00; R 12:20-3:30
and or by appointment
Phone: 895.8943
Fax: 895.8943
E-mail: jefferybcook@jefferybcook.com
jcook2@polaris.umuc.edu
IM: JefferyBCook (aol)
Website: http://jefferybcook.com/mideast.htm
Office Hours:
If the posted times are not convenient, please speak with
me and we will try to set up a mutually convenient time.
Getting Information:
For your convenience, I keep materials on the Internet
(jefferybcook.com) so you can see them at any time. My
home page provides information about how to reach me. It
also contains links you might find interesting and useful.
It has a link to the course home page. This will give you
access to the following:
The syllabus
Schedules and outlines
Study guides
Other materials, like an essay on how to study for the
exam and my photo gallery.
Course Description:
This course will examine major issues and problems
concerning the history of U.S. foreign policy toward the
Middle East, from 1914 to the present. This is an upper
division course: students are expected to complete all of
the reading on time and to participate actively in
discussion.
Prerequisite: History 1350, 1360, and 2320.
Objectives:
After successful completion this course, students will be
able to:

Discuss the growing involvement of the United States
in the affairs of the Middle East, a consequence of
America’s global power.

Assess Middle Easterners’ ongoing quest for political
independence and self-mastery, including the rise of
indigenous resentment.

Identify underlying forces in the rise of modern
terrorism.

Discuss U.S.-Middle East relations, not only in
political terms but also in cultural, economic, and
social terms. Therefore, while we will of course look
closely at official U.S. policy toward the Middle East
and of Middle Eastern countries toward the United
States, we will also look at other official and
unofficial forms of relations. Cultural relations, as
represented by films, cartoons, and other media, will
be of particular importance in this regard.

Analyze and evaluate historical material.

Examine and assess U. S. presidential leadership and
other national security and military decision makers
associated with the Middle East, 1914-2006.

Evaluate the impact of the Iraqi War upon our nation,
our diplomatic relations with the Middle East.

At the conclusion of the course, students should be
able to identify the major problems in this subject;
identify and explain the principal scholarly disputes
about those problems; and make a reasoned appraisal of
the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant arguments
in each case. In particular, they should be able to
assess the significance of the War on Terror in its
World context.
Student Responsibility:
Success in this course depends upon the completion of the
reading assignments and participation in class discussion
by the students. If you keep up with the readings it will
enhance your enjoyment of the class. Remember, this is
your chance to broaden your perspectives and widen your
horizons. Seize it!
Instructor's Responsibilities:
The atmosphere of the class will be kept informal to
encourage general participation and a full variety of
viewpoints. The instructor will make himself available
after class and during office hours to offer students
additional advice on preparing course assignments.
Students are urged to take advantage of such assistance.
Methodology:
Instructional methods consist of lectures, films, music,
news clips, and discussions. Throughout the course, I
shall try to be clear, interesting and ready to elucidate
anything that seems obscure. Please feel free to interrupt
at any time, or to consult with me in 209 White Hall.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Map Quiz: Students will be given a blank map, and will
have to identify each country, major cities, and a few
regional geographic features. They will have the list
available when taking the quiz.
2. Mid-term Examination:
A mid-term examination will be given on Tuesday, February
28, 2006. The exam will cover all class notes and readings
up to that time. The instructor will provide students with
a comprehensive study guide ten days prior to the exam.
3. Quizzes:
There will be five unannounced quizzes over the course of
the semester. They will consist of multiple-choice
questions and test students' knowledge of assigned readings
for a given topic area.
4. Book Reviews:
Each student must two book reviews (David Farber, Taken
Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and America’s First
Encounter with Radical Islam and John Lewis Gaddis,
Surprise, Security, and the American Experience). These
reviews should be no less than 750 words no more than 1,250
words approximately three-to five-typewritten, doubled-spaced
pages).
5. Final Exam: Analysis of the War on Terror. Students will
write an extended analysis of either the causes of the War
on Terror or develop a clear strategy for American policy
in the Middle East. This written analysis will be based on
each student's interpretation of the materials presented in
the required readings and in additional materials provided
by the professor or gathered by the student. While there is
no maximum or minimum length required for the analyses,
papers of 5-7 pages are ideal. The analysis paper will be
due on April 29, 2006 and will count and will count for 17
percent of the student's final grade. More detailed
instructions about the writing of the analysis will be
given later.
6. Class Participation:
The most subjective of categories includes faithful and
attentive attendance and classroom interaction. All
students are expected to come to class ready to participate
in meaningful dialogue and discussion of the lecture and
assigned readings. This category evaluates the level of
effort put into this course rather than academic success.
It also takes into the account the fact that the content of
the course material is not merely academic, but also
spiritual in nature and hence the overall goal is to apply
it our lives in a way which pleases our Lord.
Deadlines: Papers are due in class on the assigned date!
No excuses.
Attendance Policy:
ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO MISS CLASS ON
FOUR (4) DAYS. STUDENTS WHOSE CUTS EXCEED FOUR WILL
RECEIVE A GRADE OF FX (FAILURE DUE TO ABSENCES). IN LIGHT
OF THIS POLICY, I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO DROP THIS COURSE IF
YOU DO NOT PLAN TO BE IN CLASS.
Course Grade:
The grade for the course will be determined by averaging
the following:
Map quiz
Mid-Term exam
Final exam
Quizzes
Class participation
Book Reviews
35
100
100
100
50
200
points
points
points
points
points
points
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is copying from a source without acknowledging
it. It is academically dishonest and should not be
tolerated in any course. Plagiarism will result in an F
for the assignment and could well jeopardize your grade for
the course.
Turnitin.com:
I have a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service
that helps prevent plagiarism from Internet sources. I may
be using this service in this class by either requiring
students to submit their papers electronically to
Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf
of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your
paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database
throughout the term of my contract with Turnitin.com. If
you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you
must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of
this class. Note: If you object to the storage of your
paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to
check your work for plagiarism.
Cheating:
Cheating is a serious academic offense and will result in
severe penalties. These include a zero for the work
involved, an immediate F in the course, and referral to
college authorities for further discipline, including
expulsion from North Greenville College.
Disability:
If you are learning, sensory, or physically disabled, and
need assistance in lecture, testing, etc., please contact
me as soon as possible. I will help you anyway I can and
matters will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Studying:
The most important activity in this course will not happen
during class. It is your studying. How much you learn,
what grade you get, and even how much you enjoy this class
depend largely on how well you study. Very few students
can survive by just coming and listening.
You must READ
and STUDY.
This Class:
You should take this class seriously. It assumes collegelevel reading and writing. It will require regular,
thorough, and effective studying. But if you give it your
best, you will have personal satisfaction, new insights
into our past and even fun. For my part, I want to help you
in every way I can.
Required Texts:
Armstrong, Karen.
Islam: A Short History.
Farber, David. Taken Hostage: The Iran Hostage Crisis and
America’s First Encounter with Radical Islam.
Gaddis, John Lewis. Surprise, Security, and the American
Experience.
McAlister, Melani. Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, and US
Interests in the Middle East, 1945-2000.
Please note that all books are referred to by the last
name of the author in the syllabus.
Course Outline
PART I THE EMERGING ORDER AND THE CHALLENGE OF MODERNITY
Jan. 12
Introduction
Jan. 17
Wilson & the Collapse of the Ottoman Empire
Armstrong, ix-138
McAlister, x-42
Jan. 19
The Great Interlude
*The Palestine Mandate
Lewis, 332-344
Jan. 24
US & the Middle East: The Second World War
Armstrong, 141-187
Lewis, 345-356
Jan. 26
Origins of the Cold War in the Middle East
McAlister, 43-83
Map Quiz
Jan. 31
Truman and the Creation of Israel
*Immigration into Palestine
*Partition of Palestine
Feb. 2
Film: Land Divided
Feb. 7
Eisenhower, the Cold War, & the Middle East
*Soviet Arms to Arab Countries
Feb. 9
Suez Crisis and the Rise of Arab Nationalism
McAlister, 84-124
*Egyptian Restrictions Israeli Shipping
PART II THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
Feb. 14
JFK and Arab Nationalism
Feb. 16
Johnson: Takes Sides
Feb. 21
Film: The Six Day War
Feb. 23
Nixon Doctrine
McAlister, 125-154
Feb. 28
Mid-Term Exam
Mar. 2
Film: One Day in September
McAlister, 155-197
Read Farber, Taken Hostage.
Mar. 14
The Yon Kippur War and the United States
*Separation of Forces Israel & Syria
Mar. 16
Carter and Camp David
*The Camp David Accords
Mar. 21
The Iranian Revolution & the Hostage Crisis
McAlister, 198-216
Finish Barber
Mar. 23
Film: Crisis in Iran
Discussion: Farber, Taken Hostage.
Book Review is due
Mar. 28
The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
McAlister, 216-234
Mar. 30
The First Palestinian Intifada
Apr. 4
The Gulf War
McAlister, 235-259
Apr. 6
The Oslo Peace Process
McAlister, 259-276
Apr. 11
The United States and the Kurds
S Huntington, “Clash of Civilizations”
PART III AMERICA’S WAR ON TERROR
Apr. 13
America Confronts Terror
Apr. 18
The United States and Osama bin Laden
Dick Morris, “While Clinton Fiddled”
“US Missed Chances to Seize bin Laden”
Apr. 20
Film: Osama bin Laden: in the Name of Allah
David Rose, “The Osama Files”
Apr. 25
September 11 and the Aftermath
Kenneth Pollack, “Sumer to Saddam”
Stephen Hayes, “Case Closed”
Fouad Ajami, “Iraq & the Arabs Future”
Apr. 27
Discussion: John Lewis Gaddis
Book Review is due
Apr. 29
Final Exam: US & and the Middle East
Policy Paper is due
*Primary source documents
Select Bibliography
Bass, Warren. Support Any Friend: Kennedy’s Middle East
and the Making of the U.S.-Israeli Alliance.
Bergan, Peter. Holy War Inc. Inside the Secret World of
Osama bin Laden.
Berman, Aaron.
Nazisim, the Jews, and American Zionism.
Bill, James A. The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of
American-Iranian Relations.
Christison, Kathleen. Perceptions of Palestine: Their
Influence on US-Middle East Policy.
Cohen, Avner.
Israel and the Bomb.
Cohen, Michael.
Truman and Israel.
Cooley, John K. Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, American and
International Terrorism.
Daniel, Robert. American Philanthropy in the Near East,
1820-1960.
Emerson, Steven.
Among Us.
American Jihad: The Terrorists Living
Esposito, John L.
The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality?
Franklin, David. The Peace to End All Peace: Creating
the Modern Middle East, 1914-1922.
Girtz, Bill. Breakdown: How America’s Intelligence
Failures Led to September 11.
Goode, James F.
The United States and Iran, 1946-1951.
Hahn, Peter. The United States, Great Britain, and
Egypt, 1945-1956.
Huntington, Samuel. The Clash of Civilizations and the
Remaking of World Order.
Little, Douglas. American Orientalism: The United States
and the Middle East Since 1945.
Lytle, Mark. The Origins of the Iranian-American
Alliance, 1941-1953.
Makovsky, David. Making Peace with the PLO: The Rabin
Government’s Road to the Oslo Accord.
McDowall, David.
Miller, John.
A Modern History of the Kurds.
The Cell.
Miniter, Richard. Loosing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton’s
Failures Unleashed Global Terror.
Neff, Donald. Warriors at Suez: Eisenhower Takes
America into the Middle East.
Neff, Donald. Warriors over Jerusalem: The Six Days That
Changed the Modern Middle East.
Neff, Donald.
Warriors Against Israel.
Oren, Michael. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making
of the Modern Middle East.
Parker, Richard.
Middle East.
Rubin, Barry.
1947.
The Politics of Miscalculation in the
The Great Powers in the Middle East, 1941-
Smith, Charles. Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict,
4th ed.
Smith, Gaddis. Morality, Reason, and Power: American
Diplomacy in the Carter Years.
Spiegel, Steven L. The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict:
Making America’s Middle East Policy, from Truman to
Reagan.
Usher, Graham. Dispatches from Palestine: The Rise and
Fall of the Oslo Peace Process.
Yergin, Daniel. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil,
Money, and Power.