Lahore University of Management Sciences

POL 224- The Modern Middle East:

History, Opportunities and Challenges
Fall Semester 2016-17
Instructor
Room No.
Office Hours
Email
Telephone

Ambassador (Retd.) Syed Azmat Hassan

Room 124, Political Science Wing, HSS Department
TBA
azmat.hassan@lums.edu.pk;
2108

COURSE BASICS
Credit Hours
Lecture(s)

4
Nbr of Lec(s) Per Week

Duration

1hr 50mins

COURSE DESCRIPTION
The greater Middle East also includes Pakistan and Afghanistan. However this course will focus primarily on the historical evolution
of the Middle East which extends from Morocco to Iran; the changes which this region underwent under the Mandate system after
World War I; the emergence of independent Middle Eastern states; the relationship of the great powers between this region with
its oil and gas resources; the issue of human development and finally, the changes brought about through the so called Arab
Spring.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
As stated above, the Middle East remains an area of considerable geopolitical importance to Pakistan. A grasp of the history, and
political evolution in the 20th century and beyond, of the Middle Eastern countries will widen the comprehension and knowledge of
all students. As a former career diplomat with postings in a number of Middle Eastern countries, I will be able to bring my
knowledge and experience of the Middle East into the classroom.

COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)
Students applying for this course are required to have already studied POL-100 (Introduction to Political Science).

GRADE BREAK UP
1) Attendance
2) Class Participation
3) Quizzes (2)
4) Mid Term
5) Final Exam

10%
05%
10%
35%
40%

CLASS REQUIREMENTS
Punctuality is very important in my class. A very occasional leeway of five minutes late arrival will be condoned provided that
students do not make it a habit of arriving late. Habitual latecomers will be penalized. Students are expected to be in their seats
when the class time starts and not wait outside the classroom. The doors will be locked promptly five minutes after the class starts.
An equally important requirement is that students on entering the class must switch off their cell phones and put them in their
pockets/ handbags. Any infraction of this policy will entail disciplinary action.
I expect every student to purchase the Reading Package. Failure to have the Reading Package and to study it regularly will seriously
affect the students grade.

Lahore University of Management Sciences

COURSE OUTLINE
Week 1:
Session 1: General introduction about the parameters of the course- explanation of syllabus, grading, readings
Session 2: The emergence of the Arabs in the Middle East. Hourani, Prologue, chapters 1 & 2, pages 1-37
Week 2:
Session 3: Hourani, Chapters 3, 4 & 9, pages 38-7 & 147-157.
Session 4: The Ottomans and the Ottoman age. Hourani, chapters 13, 14 & 15, pages 209-262.
Week 3:
Session 5: The European interaction with the Middle East 1774-1939. Hourani, chapters 16-19, pages 265- 332.
Session 6: Arab Unity and Disunity (since 1967). Hourani, chapters 25 & 26, pages 416-458 & Afterword by Malise Ruthven, pages
459- 472.
Week 4:
Session 7: Resurrecting Empire, Khalidi, introduction (pages v-xvi) & chapters 1-3, pages 1-117.
Session 8: Khalidi, chapters 4 &5, pages 118-175.
Week 5:
Session9: The Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Kamrava, pages 299-246.
Session 10: The Challenge of Economic Development. Kamrava, pages 347-386.
Week 6:
Session 11: The Age of Nationalism, Kamrava, pages 68-107.
Session 12: The Arab-Israeli Wars, Kamrava, pages 108-138.
Week 7:
Session 13: The Iranian Revolution, Kamrava, pages 139-169.
Session 14: The Gulf Wars and Beyond, Kamrava, pages 170-209.
Week 8:
Session 15: Mid-term examination.
Session 16: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) sponsored Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) 2002, pages 313, UNDP sponsored AHDR 2003, pages 1-13.
Week 9:
Session 17: AHDR 2004, pages 5-22; AHDR 2005, pages 1-24.
Session 18: AHDR 2009, pages 1-16.
Week 10:
Session 19: Violent Extremism: Al Qaeda, Whittaker, pages 52-56 & Terrorism: Al Qaeda and the Arab Spring, Daniel Byman, pages
76-83. Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS), Foreign Affairs Magazine (March/ April 2015), ISIS is not a Terrorist Group, by Audrey
Cronin, pages 87-98
Session 20: The Arab Awakening, by Kenneth Pollack, pages 1-9. Arab Public Opinion: What Do They Want, Shibley Telhami, pages
13-20. Islamists and the Brotherhood: Political Islam and the Arab Spring, Shadi Hamid, pages 29-38.

Lahore University of Management Sciences

Week 11:
Session 21: Tunisia: Birthplace of the Revolution by Shadi Hamid, pages 111-116. Egypt: The Prize by Shadi Hamid, pages 102-110.
Bahrain: Island of Troubles by Michael Doran & Salman Shaikh, pages 188-195.
Session 22: The Arab Awakening
Yemen: The Search for Stability and Development, Ibrahim Sharqieh, pages 221-229. The Houthi Rebellion and the Saudi Response.
Al Jazeera article, Who are the Houthis in Yemen? <http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/08/yemen-houthis-hadiprotests-201482132719818986.html>
Week 12:
Session 23: The Second Arab Awakening by Marvan Muasher. Note to the reader and introduction, pages 1-4, The First Arab
Awakening, pages 7-27.
Session 24: Islamist Movements, pages 42-77 by Muasher.
Week 13:
Session 25: The Second Arab Awakening and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, Muasher, pages 142-159; Third Forces and the Battle For
Pluralism, Muasher, pages 160-186.
Session 26: The Foreign Policies of Middle East States edited by Hinnebusch and Ehteshami
Saudi Arabia by Gregory Gauss, pages 185-206,
Syria, by Raymond Hinnebusch, pages 207-232.
Week 14:
Session 27: Egypt by Hinnebusch and Sharma, pages 75-103,
Iran by Ehteshami, pages 261-288.
Session 28: Review of the above materials for the final exam; Deportment.