ISU 2017
“After the Arab Spring: Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary Middle East”

• Instructor: Dr. James Devine
• Mount Allison University (New Brunswick Canada)
• email: jtdevine@mta.ca

 

Assignments

• Participation and Presentation 30%
• Map quiz 20% (Day #3)
• Take Home Essay #1 25% (Day #6)
• Take Home Essay #2 25% (Day #9)

 

Attendance

permitted absence of 10% (max. two teaching hours) for each course.

Course Material

Reader & this Blog: IR Theory and Practice (https://jtdevinemta.wordpress.com/)

 

Schedule

Week 1

24-Jul Introduction: The Middle East Regional System

25-Jul Pre-Arab Spring: Regional Rivalries and Alliances Curtis R. Ryan, Regime security and shifting alliances in the Middle East  p.42-47

26-Jul Arab Uprisings and the Regional Demonstration Effect & Political Islam: Roger Owen “The Arab ‘demonstration’ effect and the revival of Arab unity in the Arab Spring” 372-381 & Jillian Schwedler Why academics can’t get beyond moderates and radicals Islam and International Order p.23-25

27-Jul The US, Russia and the Arab Spring Greg Gause & I. Lustick,  America and the Regional Powers in a Transforming &  Stephen M. Saideman, Multinational war is hard. Syria and the Islamic State 49-50

28-Jul The Iranian-Saudi Cold War Curtis Ryan The New Arab Cold War and the Struggle for Syria

Week 2

31-Jul The Syrian Civil War Taha Ozhan,”The Arab Spring and Turkey: The Camp David Order vs. the New Middle East” pp. 55-64 & Kevin Mazur, Local struggles in Syria’s northeast In Syria and the Islamic State p.6-10 & Stathis N. Kalyvas “The logic of violence in the Islamic State’s war”. p.38-40

1-Aug Kurdish Politics and The Syrian Civil War See Blog articles tagged ‘Kurds’

2-Aug The Yemenese Civil War ICG Reports, Yemen: Is Peace Possible? p.1-4

3-Aug Human Rights, Refugees and Civilian Casualties

 

Assignments

Written Assignments

Assignment # 1

Describe the impact of the Arab Spring on one country in the Middle East

Assignment #2

Choose a country. How did that country respond to:

• The Syrian Civil War
• The rise of ISIS
• The Yemeni Civil War
• The Qatari Diplomatic Crisis

Instructions:

• 1-2 pages
• Cite at least 2 on-line sources
• No Wikipedia
• No cut-and-paste
• Assignment #1 Due in Class #6
• Assignment #2 Due in Class #9

 

Presentations

• Groups of 2 students
• 1-2 Articles on Country and Conflict
• See schedule for Topics & Dates
• 5 Minutes Approximately
• Day #4 through Day #8

 

Discuss:

• How did the state react?
• Who did the state support and who did they oppose?
• Why do you think they reacted this way?

 

Map Quiz:
-Place 10 of the Following Countries on a Map

1. Afghanistan
2. Algeria
3. Bahrain
4. Egypt
5. Iran
6. Iraq
7. Israel
8. Jordan
9. Kuwait
10. Lebanon
11. Libya
12. Morocco
13. Oman
14. Palestine
15. Qatar
16. Saudi Arabia
17. Syria
18. Tunisia
19. Turkey
20. United Arab Emirates
21. Yemen

 

Presentation	Schedule
Friday	United States
Morris	Peyton
Grabek	Jan
Longenekerc	Andrew
Monday	Syria
Frazier	Reilly
Hungerford	Sawyer
Sprong	Evan
Monday	Libya
Clough	Claire
Hall	Sam
Hansen	Katharina
Tuesday	Qatar
Alhammadi	Khawla
Aljaberi	Khaula
Alshehhi	Maryam
Wednesday	Yemen
Mahmoud	Noor S O
McIntyre	Devynn
Boullt	Zachary