Week 1

Please post 1-2 paragraphs answering the following questions:

1) Why are you interested in Middle Eastern politics, and what personally brings you to the class?

2) Based on your previous experience and scan of current events, what do you think are the top 5 biggest issues in ME politics right now?

16 thoughts on “Week 1

  1. Nobuhle Ndlovu

    My major areas of concentration as a Middlebury undergrad have been China
    and Africa(which are concentrations as an IPE major and African studies minor student). The three regions as whole seem unconnected, but African studies obviously involves certain regions we deem as part of the Middle East. Furthermore, I have always been interested in learning more about what is seemingly deemed Arab Africa by many Sub Saharan political analysts. The main reason I was interested in taking this class was the Arab uprisings and the effects they would have on the rest of the world. They first took place when I was in China and although many of the reasons(corruption, unemployment etc) seen as being catalyst’s for the movement were shared by regions I had more knowledge of such and China and African countries such as Zimbabwe, Swaziland etc many people said the same wouldn’t happen outside of the Middle East. I was very curious at to why and I think this class will give me better insight into the historical and social reasons that distinguish this region from the likes of Zimbabwe etc.

    Top 5 news articles:

    1. South Africa and the rest of the AU still refuse to acknowledge Libya’s transition council
    2. Former diplomat with close ties to Mubarek sentenced.
    3. Palestinian bid for Statehood.
    4. Syria’s internal war
    5. The US’s continued involvement in the Middle East

  2. Cameron Wilson

    My specific area of interest is actually focused on Germany and its role in the global economy at present, making Middle Eastern politics seemingly irrelevant when one considers the lack of shared culture and geographical proximity. As a major world power, however, Germany has been drawn ever closer to the issues that exist in the Middle East and directly affected by strong Turkish influences as well as mass immigration from countries such as Afghanistan and Syria. When one couples the influx of immigration from the Middle East with trade relations and the political implications of increased Euro-Arab socio-political interaction, the importance of the symbiotic relationship becomes immediately apparent.

    Despite Middle Eastern Politics dominating much of the media’s attention in the past several months, I found that in the absence of the historical and geographical knowledge to contextualize the emerging issues and events, the radical change was difficult to fully grasp. In attempting to better understand the emerging issues in Germany that pertain specifically to the Arab world, I wanted to take a class from which I could gain an insight into the workings of the Middle East independently of Europe and thus chose PSCI 217. In determining the top 5 biggest issues in Middle Eastern politics I sought to offset the regional importance with its implications in the bigger picture of world affairs (The order is unranked in terms of importance).

    1. China’s post “Arab Spring” role in the Middle East
    2. Syria’s internal strife
    3. Israel’s steadily deteriorating relations with surrounding countries such as Turkey and Egypt
    4. Fragmentation of AlQaeda organization and implications
    5. Libya’s rehabilitation as an oil producer and the role of foreign powers in effectuating the resumption of oil production

    (I apologize for the late post as I was unable to add the class and type a response prior to today)

    CJW

  3. Yixin Zeng

    About a year ago I ran across a book by Steve Coll, “Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001.” Although the book is primarily about Afghanistan and Pakistan, my attention was drawn to the Middle Eastern politics. Subsequently I developed an interest in America’s military contractors in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, depicted vividly in Jeremy Scahill’s book, “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.” If the previous two books have offered some perspectives and scattered knowledge, taking PSCI 217 seems to me a very logical step to educate myself more about what is happening in the region. I need to systematically learn about the history, culture and dynamics in the Middle East, and this course, as well as Professor Mecham’s teaching, will be the best vehicle to achieve so.

    In my mind, the top five biggest issues in ME are:

    (1) The progress and consequence of the Arab Spring – will this lead to a domino effect of democratization or regime reforms?
    (2) Petro-politics and petrodollar – the Middle East is blessed and cursed with the natural resources; when oil becomes increasingly scarce, what will happen to the ME politics?
    (3) Israeli/Palestinian Conflict;
    (4) China’s involvement in Middle East – as China becomes more powerful, what kind of role will it play in ME?
    (5) Religious extremism as well as the world’s perception on Islam in general.

  4. Jordan Kelley

    Sorry I’m posting so late Professor, it took the registrar a bit to add the class for me. I’m interested in learning more about a region of the world whose politics and events are often complex and poorly understood by our side of the world. I’d like to study abroad in either Africa or the Middle East, and I’d like to have a solid understanding of current events in both places before going. What brings me to the class is wanting to learn more about this very dynamic area and what factors have influenced the current state of affairs in different countries.

    In terms of the top 5 biggest issues right now, I would say that the Israel-Palestine conflict is huge. So is the battle for Libya between Ghaddafi and revolutionary fighters and the turmoil in Syria. As larger issues, I think conflicts over oil, both within the Middle East and with nations outside of it, will continue to increase, particularly as oil wells dry up and the resource becomes more scarce. Ethnic and sectarian violence is another large-scale issue that has taken place throughout the Middle East (though throughout the rest of the world as well, to be fair), and is still an important issue.

  5. cnewbury

    1. My interest in joining this class comes from my desire to become more informed on the region. I read the news on a regular basis yet I still don’t fully understand the complex web of conflicts going on in this region. Especially considering the last year and the momentous events that have occurred in North Africa and the Middle East, and as an American taxpayer and citizen, it seems logical to know about what is happening there. I have taken a PSCI intro, however am fairly new to the subject and am very excited about becoming more acquainted with it this semester.

    2. a. Unrest with Israel: Egyptian and Jordanian attacks or protests of Israeli embassies shows that as Arab countries gain their independent voices, Palestine will have more allies who are willing to voice their opinions on Israel and act on them.
    b. Libya’s growing independence and strength: David Cameron’s and Nicholas Sarkozy’s very public trip to Tripoli signifies the legitimacy of the interim government in the West’s eyes. This visit comes at a time when rebels are in their final push to secure the country as they attempt to take the city of Sirte.
    c. Action of Syrians against Assad: The group of exiles in Istanbul are gaining allies and planning to take over Syria and place an interim government there as well.
    d. Palestine nationalism: Although many in Palestine are skeptical that UN acceptance of statehood will happen, the mere hope that it might is enough inspiration to try. Many nations in the Arab world, like Turkey, are enthusiastic about the prospect and with the previously mentioned symbols of support in Egypt and Jordan, a new league of Pro-Palestine nations may be on the horizon, surrounding Israel.
    e. Yemen as a growing hop spot of conflict: as the rest of the region is well into half a year of fighting and rebuilding, Yemen’s conflict is growing.

  6. Catherine Brown

    Many of us listed the Palestinian call for statehood as one of the most pressing current events in the Middle East.
    If you would like to take a SMALL step in endorsing the Palestinian state, feel free to sign a worldwide petition for Palestinian Independence. (Trying to reach 1 million signatories in the next 4 days. There are currently 900,000 signatures.)

    If you support the idea of a Palestinian state, you may express yourself here:
    http://www.avaaz.org/en/independence_for_palestine_en/96.php

    Just thought I’d pass it on…

  7. John Montroy

    I’ve always had a peripheral interest in politics, and have made some attempts to involve myself in the field in the past. The one region that seems to me (as a relatively politically ignorant person) to be the most fascinating is the Middle East, and the one field I always gravitate towards when I jump into politics. It’s such a fluid, complicated topic with so many facets, and all of it is incredibly relevant nowadays. But for me personally, I’ve been frustrated with the sometimes superfluous abstractions and language games I’ve encountered in politics; I like history and facts in politics rather than theory. The Middle East seems like a field that is free of those vague abstractions and theories, not because people don’t try to theorize, but because all big political issues seem to manifest themselves very clearly in the Middle East. All splits in ideology or policy aren’t really questions of academia in the Middle East, they are hotly contested issues where differences of opinion result in, for example with the Arab Spring, revolutions. So, if the field is fairly free of abstract theorizing (because again, why theorize when it’s happening in front of you), that leaves current events and their historical precedents. For these last two things, I’m looking forward to this class.

    Again, I’m not the most politically aware person right now, but if I were to make a list:
    1) the Arab Spring and its progress
    2) US involvement in the Middle East
    3) Strains of religious extremism
    4) Israeli/Palestinian Conflict
    5) the Middle East’s relationship to countries like China or Japan

  8. Connie Sanabria

    To be honest, I know little about Middle Eastern Politics. I hear people sharing their opinionated statements about regional conflicts in the Middle East and it bothers me when I cannot agree or disagree with confidence because I do not have a solid knowledge of the history, conflict, politics, and culture of this diverse region. I basically hope to learn how the Middle East’s past has shaped the current region. I’m drawn to this class after living in Bordeaux, France for a semester where there is a large North-African/Muslim population. The tensed dynamics between the French and Arab population fascinated me and I realized that I do not know much about the Middle East. With that said, I am excited to learn in more depth about the politics of the Middle East.

    My top five big issues in the Middle East:

    1. Palestinian UN bid for statehood
    2. Libya’s transitional government
    3. How the Egyptian transition to democracy will play out
    4. The crisis going on in Syria
    5. War in Iraq

  9. Sarah Pfander

    When organizing my schedule for this fall, I found myself in the position of choosing between this course and Professor Murray Dry’s American Constitutional Law course. Therefore, if I’m being completely honest, I’m probably here to avoid Dry’s final exams. Just kidding. I do, in fact, have a considerable interest in Middle Eastern politics. For starters, I will be studying abroad in Mali this coming spring and while that country is typically grouped with the sub-Saharan region of Africa and is not one that we will be studying this semester, it is effected by some similar realities, such as the presence of Islamism and an active Al-Qaeda cell in the northern region. Additionally, being Jewish and having lived for a year in Israel gives me a vested, but uniquely isolated, interest in the region. I’m looking forward to rounding out my knowledge and employing a more objective, political lens when it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Finally, as a political science major, given the events last Spring, it’s hard to not watch the Middle East closely. Also, I just really wanted to take a class with Professor Mecham.

    In terms of the five issues I believe to be at the forefront of Middle East politics right now, they are, in no particular order:

    -The post-2/11 world as Professor Mecham phrased it at the panel last night; what will be the results of the successful demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt and their ripple effects in Libya, Syria, etc.?
    -Religion and religious extremism
    -Wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the continued American presence/intervention
    -The development of civil society, in particular youth movements
    -Oil and its impact on the Middle East’s global role

  10. Margaret Souther

    My interest in Middle Eastern politics was sparked by all of the action that has been going on, especially over the past ten years with our involvement in many Middle Eastern countries. I’ve always been interested in International relations along with international conflict, and middle eastern politics can be greatly applied to both of themes. I also have to admit that while I may know the gist of some problems that exist over there, I’m not well aware of the reasons for much of the unrest between countries or religious groups, and I have not kept up with all of the changes that have occurred over the past year or so. Middle Eastern politics have been sort of ignored or glazed over throughout my education, so I’m interested to delve further into what seems, to me, to be a neglected and somewhat mysterious topic.

    The top five issues seem to be:
    1. US involvement in Middle Eastern countries and the continued War on Terror
    2. Religion – norms vs. extremism
    3. Dispute between Israel and Palestine
    4. Oil wars and tyrants – the struggle for control of one of our most desired resources
    5. Recent revolutions, political unrest, emergence of new political leaders

  11. Catherine Brown

    I am not Jewish. I am not Muslim and my last name is Brown–I’m about as white bread Anglo-Saxon as you get. That said, I have always been drawn to the Middle East. The power, the oil, the discord and disorder; I’ve spent the last few years of my life trying to figure out how best I can be involved, as an American, as a woman and as an athlete who cannot stand the desert heat.

    I have just spent the past five months studying at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies on Kibbutz Ketura in Southern Israel. Built upon the theory that ‘nature knows no borders’, Arava brings together students from Israel, Jordan, Palestine and ‘abroad’ to study transboundary environmental politics and the finer points of the Arab-Isreali conflict. The vibe is infectious and I’ve come back for PSCI 217, hoping to learn more about the power dynamics between Lebanon, Iran and Syria; the broken relationship between Egypt, Turkey and Israel; and eagerly awaiting the ruling on Palestinian statehood.

    At present, I believe the most pressing issues in the Middle East are:

    1. The concept of statehood–
    Who deserves it? How are sovereign officials elected? Why do they deserve power?

    2. What is America’s role in the Middle East?
    *Shall we continue to align ourselves with Israel? What are the risks associated with increasing Israeli isolation?

    3. Syria
    *Underlying politics between Syria, Shia in Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon

    4. Post-Mubarak Egypt
    *Will the Egyptians establish a new Arab Order?

    5. WATER and RESOURCES
    *The population is growing, resources are dwindling and political ground is unstable. How will the countries of the Levant and the Persian Gulf manage population growth, politics and resource scarcity over the next few decades?

  12. Lucy Jackson

    Withing the realm of political science I was in my first two years at Middlebury increasingly drawn to political philosophy and the discussion of the underlying themes of a nations political existence. As I have gotten older and become more aware of the the world around me, I have found it increasingly interesting to see how these more foundational trains of thought resonate in current events and in the development of both individual nations and our more global political sphere. While very ignorant to much what of is going on in the Middle East, it seems as if within this region there are nations in various states of statehood struggling to reconcile historical and religions ties in an increasingly globalized world. I am interested to learn more about how an area so rich with it’s own social, political, and cultural norms is wrestling with the increasing desire to either join or accept it’s role within today’s interconnected political realm.

    With my limited knowledge, theses are the issues which seem most relevant in the Middle East and North Africa Today:

    1. Livelihood/Resources: From where is economic stability coming from for all classes. Is the “cow” (Sadjadpour) within our outside of a nations boarders? Who owns the cow?
    2. Boarders/Geography- how does the existence of one nation effect the nations around it?
    3. New Leadership – which coalitions/groups are coming to power in vacancies left by overthrown leaders? Moving out of historical patterns, creating real democracy (or the appropriate equivalent
    4. Relative International Importance – how does this nation exist on an international scale? Who are it’s allies or supporters? (i.e. Palestine’s potential recognition by UN, disproportional awareness of number of deaths in Iraq during war vs. deaths in US, Sarkozy and Cameron visiting Libya)
    5. Religion

    1. Claire Powers

      I have always found politics grounded in place to be the most interesting. With the ever expanding news coverage, dramatic revolutions and unrest, as my knowledge dwindles my curiosity grows. Making sense of the region and current situation, while an extremely broad and daunting task, seems more and more important. As someone aware of the rapid spread of globalization, the events and history of a place so physically far away feel increasingly personal and pertinent. As a Political Science and Women’s and Gender Studies major, I am also extremely interested in understanding the politics of a region of which I have so far only examined from a social and anthropological viewpoint.

      5 Major issues affecting Middle Eastern Politics (in no particular order)

      1. The U.S. occupation of Afghanistan/ the war in Iraq.
      2. The curse/blessing of prolific oil reserves—who benefits, who controls what, what countries are involved. As oil reserves dwindle globally, what might this mean for the region?
      3. The “Arab Spring.” Revolution and changing leadership. When dictatorships are overturned, who or what will take their place?
      4. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
      5. Religious extremism and terrorism.

  13. Marea Colombo

    Language has always been a huge interest of mine. I appreciate and enjoy what language can tell us about culture, social constructs, and history. It is no surprise then, that my interest in the Arabic language prompted my interest in the Middle East. However, especially with the current political climate in the Middle East, I was quickly realizing that my ability to comprehend the situation was fading. This class provided an opportunity to expand my interest of the region from the cultural to the political (although the two are undoubtedly connected). While I realize that the political situation is in, and has been in flux for a while, I hope that this class will elucidate some factors of the region’s political change.

    Top five topics in the Middle East currently (I found it really hard to separate these ideas, they have many connections and appear to covary):
    1. The international wars in the area
    2. Civil Society’s powers of democratization (This encompasses the vast wealth disparity and inequality/mistreatment of minorities)
    3. UN’s recognition of independent states
    4. Arab-Israeli conflict.
    5. Resource conflict

  14. Pathik Root

    I was originally drawn to the Middle East for environmental reasons, namely oil politics. I started taking Arabic when I came to Middlebury and went to the region for the first time the following summer. Working for an advertising agency in Riydah, I looked at the environmental “movement” in the KSA. One of the biggest shocks was that, unlike in the US, no issue or topic could be discussed in isolation. Discussions about the environment led to talk of religion, the family, politics, etc. Conversations about politics, digressed into history lessons, cultural education and so on. This web of interconnectedness and, from my perspective, confusion, was both frustrating and intriguing. I ended up in Yemen a year later and got hooked on the region, and trying to understand its complexities, although I doubt it’s possible to come to many concrete conclusions.

    Since then, I’ve spent extended periods of time in Egypt and Syria, with short trips to Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan. My experiences were vastly different from place to place, but all valuable. However, I still have not made much progress toward “understanding the Middle East.” I am hoping that this class will teach the foundational political science that I have not yet encountered, and help me rethink concepts that were taught to me cursorily or with a bias.

    Top Five Biggest Issues in ME Politics:
    1) Changing role of regional powers amidst Arab Spring: Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria
    2) Natural Resources: oil in the gulf, water in places like Yemen or Sudan.
    3) Arab-Israeli Conflict: increasing Israeli isolation
    4) The Wars: Iraq, Afghanistan and war on terror
    5) Sectarianism and the treatment of minorities (including Kurds).

  15. Nadia Schreiber

    My biggest interest in Middle Eastern politics comes from my International Studies focus of Political Science. When I was choosing a regional focus as a sophomore, I had a hard time choosing between Latin America and the Middle East, ultimately deciding that, in terms of my language skills, Latin America was much more feasible. But I am drawn to the politics of both regions for a similar reason: they are in flux. The political climate of the Middle East has been changing for my entire life, and appears to be coming to some sort of climax right now. I also come to the table as a Jew with a lot of family and friends in Israel.
    That said, I do not think that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the largest issue facing the region today. I think the most important issue is religious extremism; we have seen that it causes nothing but damage around the world, and I think it must be countered at every turn. Another important issue is the US occupation of Afghanistan, how long it has gone on, and how much longer it will continue. A third important issue is the vast wealth disparities that exist across the region, particularly in oil producing countries. Also important is the future of Israel and the future of Palestine. A final issue that I think is important in the Middle East today is the future relationship of Egypt with the rest of the world.

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