84-292 Geopolitical Challenges of a Changing Middle East II: Politics, Security, & Law
3 units, Carnegie Mellon University
This is one of three course proposals under the umbrella of Geopolitical Challenges of a Changing Middle East. This course examines the security dimensions of the contemporary Middle East. The region has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade alone, with new configurations of power and a realignment of geopolitical interests, alliances, and rivalries taking shape. The course is broken down into three primary sections. The first part examines the shifting geopolitics in the region in order to provide a broad overview of the primary areas affecting various Middle Eastern countries foreign and security policies. This section looks at two of the defining issues of the region, including terrorism and counterterrorism, as well as the impact of natural resources and energy security. The second part of the course analyzes major events in the Middle East, including the Syrian civil war, the Arab Spring, and the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the security implications of each of these themes. Finally, the third section concludes with an examination of the illegal blockade against Qatar, the IsraeliPalestinian conflict, and a review of sectarianism throughout the region, assessing the significance of each of these topics and measured against other topics explored earlier in the semester. The Middle East is a region in constant flux. Only by questioning our assumptions and pursuing new lines of inquiry can students truly begin to grasp the intricacies and nuances of geopolitics in the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
Prerequisites: none listed
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