POL 36 — Geopolitics in the 21st-Century Middle East
Quarter: Spring
Instructor(s): Amichai Magen
Date(s): Apr 2—Jun 4
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 7:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $470
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Unit(s): 1
Status: Registration opens Feb 24 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Spring
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 7:00—8:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Apr 2—Jun 4
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $470
Refund Deadline: Apr 4
Instructor(s): Amichai Magen
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Feb 24 8:30 am (PT)
For decades, we tended to think about the Middle East as a region of the world perpetually trailing behind the arc of history—unable to arrive at democracy, economic interdependence, cooperative regionalism, and peace. But what if the Middle East is not a laggard, but a laboratory for 21st-century geopolitics? What if we approach the Middle East through a different lens, as an arena where global and regional powers (United States, Russia, China, Iran, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, etc.) compete to shape a new political order, offering us invaluable insights into the possible futures of global politics?
This course will explore the actors, trends, and dynamics that created the modern Middle East and shape it today and provide possible scenarios for the future. Featuring experts from across Stanford and other institutions, the course starts with a historical overview of the formation of the modern Middle East. It will also analyze the role of states, authoritarianism, and violent non-state actors in the region. The course will then examine how various countries—Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey, for example—approach the deep transformations taking place in the Middle East. Toward the end of the course, we will consider scenarios for the future, including how the Middle East intersects with broader changes in the international system. Finally, we will discuss prospects for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and evaluate whether the current tumult for the Middle East could create unexpected opportunities for broader regional peace.
SCHEDULE
Session 1: Wednesday, April 2, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
How the Modern Middle East Emerged
Ali Yaycıoğlu, Director, the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford
Session 2: Wednesday, April 9, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Statehood and Political Regimes in the Middle East
Lisa Blaydes, Professor in Political Science and Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 3: Wednesday, April 16, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
The Liberal International Order and the Middle East
Amichai Magen, Visiting Professor and Fellow in Israel Studies, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 4: Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
The Sunni-Shi’a Rift and Its Geopolitical Implications: Lebanon as Laboratory?
Hanin Ghaddar, Senior Fellow, Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics, Washington Institute
Session 5: Wednesday, April 30, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Militant Islamism and Violent Non-State Actors in the Middle East
Cole Bunzel, Hoover Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford
Session 6: Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Egypt in a Transforming Middle East
Hesham Sallam, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 7: Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
The View from Ankara: Turkey Between East and West?
Ayça Alemdaroğlu, Associate Director, Program on Turkey, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 8: Wednesday, May 21, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Iran’s Middle East
Abbas Milani, Director, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies, Stanford
Session 9: Wednesday, May 28, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Israel, the Middle East, and Great Power Competition in the 21st Century
Benjamin Miller, Professor of International Relations, University of Haifa
Session 10: Wednesday, June 4, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Palestinian Politics and New Prospects for Regional Peace
Ghaith al-Omari, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow, Washington Institute
This course will explore the actors, trends, and dynamics that created the modern Middle East and shape it today and provide possible scenarios for the future. Featuring experts from across Stanford and other institutions, the course starts with a historical overview of the formation of the modern Middle East. It will also analyze the role of states, authoritarianism, and violent non-state actors in the region. The course will then examine how various countries—Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey, for example—approach the deep transformations taking place in the Middle East. Toward the end of the course, we will consider scenarios for the future, including how the Middle East intersects with broader changes in the international system. Finally, we will discuss prospects for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and evaluate whether the current tumult for the Middle East could create unexpected opportunities for broader regional peace.
SCHEDULE
Session 1: Wednesday, April 2, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
How the Modern Middle East Emerged
Ali Yaycıoğlu, Director, the Abbasi Program in Islamic Studies, Stanford
Session 2: Wednesday, April 9, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Statehood and Political Regimes in the Middle East
Lisa Blaydes, Professor in Political Science and Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 3: Wednesday, April 16, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
The Liberal International Order and the Middle East
Amichai Magen, Visiting Professor and Fellow in Israel Studies, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 4: Wednesday, April 23, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
The Sunni-Shi’a Rift and Its Geopolitical Implications: Lebanon as Laboratory?
Hanin Ghaddar, Senior Fellow, Linda and Tony Rubin Program on Arab Politics, Washington Institute
Session 5: Wednesday, April 30, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Militant Islamism and Violent Non-State Actors in the Middle East
Cole Bunzel, Hoover Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford
Session 6: Wednesday, May 7, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Egypt in a Transforming Middle East
Hesham Sallam, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 7: Wednesday, May 14, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
The View from Ankara: Turkey Between East and West?
Ayça Alemdaroğlu, Associate Director, Program on Turkey, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Session 8: Wednesday, May 21, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Iran’s Middle East
Abbas Milani, Director, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies, Stanford
Session 9: Wednesday, May 28, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Israel, the Middle East, and Great Power Competition in the 21st Century
Benjamin Miller, Professor of International Relations, University of Haifa
Session 10: Wednesday, June 4, 7:00 - 8:30 pm (PT)
Palestinian Politics and New Prospects for Regional Peace
Ghaith al-Omari, Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation Senior Fellow, Washington Institute
AMICHAI MAGEN
Visiting Professor and Fellow in Israel Studies, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Amichai Magen is a visiting professor in political science and a visiting fellow in Israel studies at Stanford. He is a senior lecturer, head of the MA Program in Diplomacy & Conflict Studies, and director of the Program on Democratic Resilience and Development at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy at Reichman University in Israel. He received the Yitzhak Rabin Fulbright Award (2003), served as a predoctoral fellow at the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, and was a National Fellow at the Hoover Institution. In 2016, he was named Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy. Magen is a member of the board of the Israel Council on Foreign Relations and the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.