Lara ElGhannam

Greater Middle East Presentation Summaries

1. Chapter 2 – Iran’s Quest for Hegemony - Exporting the Islamic Revolution

o Islamic Revolution
o The leader – Ayatollah Ali has expanded the Islamic republic
o Controlled the Middle East with the military strategy: Iranian armed forces,
Islamic revolutionary guards – to ensure it stays and power and protects the
mullah
o The six-pillar strategy:
- International relations, educational, charitable & cultural activates,
resistance, and defiance.
- Agents and proxies (their way of indirectly examining finance and
imposing their power)
- Iran’s ballistic missile program
- Iran Nuclear program
- Nonproliferation treaty 1970
o Suez Canal – main source of revenue
o The Red seas were very important as they connected ships to the Indian Ocean
and was a source of economy for Egypt.
o Shia Crescent – planning to spread chaos and instability in the region as a way to
become more dominant and hold more power.
- Direct access to Mediterranean and Europe
- Increase power over the Mediterranean
o Believe that Iran should co-exist – Iranian backed Iraqi Shiite militias, Iran
considers Iraq its jurisdiction
o Promise to eliminate Israel by surrounding Israel
o China liked the close relation with Arabs and having a stable vision.
o Weakness of agent-proxy model caused tensions

2. Chapter 3 - Turkey’s Quest for Hegemony—The Blue Homeland and Reviving the
Ottoman Empire | Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and His Quest for Power.
o Sunni and Shia
o Ottoman empire was the longest and most successful
o Turkey important middle easter Sunni country
o Five pillar strategy: international relations, humanitarian aid and assistance,
agents and proxies, al muqawama resistance for palestine for media exposure
o Erdogan presence is seen in yemen syria and iraq
3. Chapter 4 - Libya | A Strategic Arena to Be Watched Closely
o Fourth largest in Africa
o Tribal and conservative society
o Two major ethnic groups: Arabs and Berbers
o Main Idea - All countries are fighting to control Libya due to its strategic location;
for its Oil Crescent and due to it being the main smuggling corridor between
Africa and Europe.
o Two assets in Libya everyone is fighting for: 1. The “Oil Crescent” (coastal area)
2. Main smuggling corridor between Africa and Europe.
o GNA
- Islamist-affiliated western government based in Tripoli (GNA)
- Was supposed to be official government of Libya
- In March 2016, the GNA was established under the leadership of Fayez al-
Sarraj
o LNA
- LNA led by General Haftar Khalifa who was based in Benghazi
- Eastern government based in Tobruk
- Comprised of eastern Libyan tribes and Salafists
- Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel supported
- For Russia, Libya is a lucrative strategic opportunity
- In April 2019, attempted to expand control into west

o Advantages Libya Offers Turkey

- Libya is directly next to Egypt, its major rival
- Libya satisfies Erdoğan’s energy security interest
- Tunisia and Algeria are potential allies for Erdoğan
- Libya is Europe’s gateway to Africa and Africa’s gateway to Europe.
- One of Erdoğan’s most primary strategic objectives
o Turkey-Sarraj Agreement - Condemned by many Mediterranean countries, EU,
and USA, LNA dismissed agreement.
o Egypt wants stability in Libya
o France, Germany and Italy want Libya’s oil
o November 2020, 5 + 5 Joint Military Commission met in Sirte
o Prime Minister Dbeibeh announced that Egypt would reopen its Embassy and
Consulates in Libya

4. Chapter 5 - The Emergence of a New Model of Statehood in the Middle East? 242-298
o Identity was based on
- Religion
 - Ethnicity
- Dialect
- Family
- Tribe
- Lineage
o Fall of the Ottoman Empire
- Self-determination
o What will be the future political structure of the region?
- Caliphate: all Muslims should live in one global Islamic entity
- Wataniya: Particularistic Nationalism
- Qaum: Pan-Arabism
o Nation-State
- End of 19th century
- Rocky start: lack of “togetherness”, “common destiny, and “mutual
togetherness”
o The Arab Spring
- Mohamed Bouazizi: Tunisian man that set himself on fire as an act of
despair in the face of the difficult life and hopeless future
- Generated massive waves of protests across the Middle East
- Dictators: used the state-consolidate for personal wealth and power
- Blame “others”: colonialists, Zionists, the west.
o 3 Trends - New Model of Statehood
- Strengthening pragmatic camp → Political Islam
- Centralizing particularistic nationalism → Political Islams agenda
- Growing presence and impact of civil society
o Muslim Brotherhood
- Largest Sunni movement and political entity
- Swiftly ejected from office
- Representation across different levels, banned in Egypt
- Political Islam: more inclusive, national aspect
o Particularistic Nationalism
- Al-Nahda “The Renaissance” party 2016
Tunisia Religious based → national party
- Tension rose: Islamic nature or expand
o Growing impact of civil society Camp
- Civil society
o Women’s rights in the Middle East
- Forefront of popular uprising
- Senior political, financial, security, academic, and media positions
- Egypt 25% of parliament women
 - 1990s → women in parliament quadrupled
- Safety: National Council for Women (NCW), European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

o On the Road to a New Model of Statehood?

- A new model of statehood may very likely be emerging in the Arab world
as a result of the integration of civil society values and the rise of social
media.
- 3 common needs: security, quality of life, and a respectable source of
income.
- key findings: Religion and Identity; Gender and Family; Society and
Economy; Communication; and Civil Society.
o Synopsis: It will cost rulers if they do not start listening to the people's needs
- When citizens and government can make a successful pact – statehood is
achieved

5. Chapter 6 - Fighting for Their Independence | Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq 299-425
o Syrian Civil War – Syrians were protesting the brutal and violent dictator:
President Bashar al-Assad.
o Al-Assad asks for help from Iran: could not defeat Syrian rebels on his own.
o Iran’s involvement
- Syria is key to the axis of resistance
- Iran has a military industry in Syria
- There is a crucial supply route for military materials that Iran uses in
Tehran
- Syria has access to Mediterranean Sea
o Russia’s involvement
- Putin wants to reinsert himself in the Middle East and wants a
Mediterranean Port, access to Eastern Mediterranean gas reserves, to be on
the central axis of the gas and oil supply route from Central Asia to Europe
- Russia is looking out for their own interests and not the welfare of Syrian
civilians

o Turkish Control of Northern Syria

- Much of Syria is controlled by Turkey
- Turkey has control of all administrative and governmental services
- Turkey wants to prevent a Kurdish autonomy in Syria
 - If Turkey has control over northern Syria, they will eradicate the Kurdish
autonomy in Northern Syria
o Idlib Province
- The axis launched a widespread military offensive against a rebel outpost
in Idlib and the surrounding area
o No control of foreign actors could cause
- If foreign actors left Syria,It would be the first step in the reconstruction of
Syria
- It would loosen Iran’s suffocating grip on two Arab states that border
Syria, Iraq to the east and Lebanon to the west
- It could trigger a process of negotiations between the al-Assad regime and
Israel regarding the Golan Heights
o Tensions between Iraqi Shi’ite Nationalists and Iraqi Shi’ite Supporters of
Iran and Deepening Friction and Tensions within the PMU
o Deepening Friction and Tensions within Iraqi Political System
- Al-Mahdi resigned - Adnan Al-Zurfi - Conflict between the Shi’ites - The
Iraqi Parliament: Saeroun & Al Fath - Muqata Al Sadr - Marja’iyaht Naja
& Al Sistani
o Battle for Iraq’s independence
- - The Iraqi government abandoned their civilis in protests
- 600 protesters were killed in the demonstrations
- Iraq is a chaotic, violent, and dangerous country

6. Chapter 7 - COVID-19 and a New Model of National Statehood in the Middle East 426-
449
o The COVID-19 pandemic affected the Middle East during a very critical
and sensitive time
o Severe threats: collapse of medical systems and economy
o The Middle East death toll is in the range of and possibly below the global
COVID- 19 death statistics.
- 1. the majority of the populations in the Middle East are young
people
- 2. the region’s warm climate is a less optimal environment for the
virus
o Governments that implemented measures to deal with the disease
 - The UAE built the world’s second-largest laboratory to process
dozens of thousands of tests per day
- The Egyptian army built six hospitals with 1,200 beds
o Factors that could generate the possible emergence of a new nation-state
model
- Growing pragmatism and the prioritization of particularistic
nationalism in political Islam
- The growing power of civil society entities and values
- The assimilation of government accountability and civic
responsibility were present during the COVID crisis
o How?
- Growing pragmatism and the prioritization of particularistic
nationalism in political Islam
- The growing power of civil society entities and values
- The assimilation of government accountability and civic
responsibility were present during the COVID crisis

o Results
- The threat of collapsing medical systems because of COVID-19 has
not happened in the region
- This can be attributed to the proactive measures governments
employed and public cooperation
- COVID-19 offered the opportunity to strengthen governmental
accountability, civic responsibility, and mutual responsibility
o How did Egypt deal?
- Curfews started relay only 2 months after the outbreaks
- People didn’t follow the precautionary measures
- Restrictions on travel and Covid tests started late
- There were a lot of gatherings even during quarantine

7. Chapter 8 - Mihwar al-E’itidal — The Alliance of Moderation and the Abraham Accords
450-503~
o Discuss how Iran and Turkey’s goals impact the Middle East’s
geopolitical and geostrategic landscape
o Some Arab countries are struggling and fighting for survival and to
counter these struggles, they are working on strengthening their economies
o Arab countries needed alliances and cooperation to strengthen their
economies, which led to the formation of Mihwar al E’itidal, or The
Alliance of Moderation
o Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and UAE
o Some countries like Sudan and Tunisia are considered advocates of the
campaign, but they are not technically members
o Another “secret” member is Israel who also face threats from Iran and
Turkey, thus proving to be valuable to the alliance
o Stability in each country and the Arab region
o Has an important role in shaping the region’s new era
o Gulf of Aden
- Flows between Yemen and Somalia
- One of the most sensitive locations in the middle east
o Iran’s most significant stronghold is the port of El-Hodeidah in Western
Yemen on the Red Sea
o Similar to Iran, Turkey is also trying to take over important waterways and
sea ports surrounding Yemen and the Socotra region
o The UAE is one of many nations who want to control Socotra because of
its strategic location and to prevent Iran and Turkey from gaining control
o They do this by using their proxy in Southern Yemen, the Southern
Transitional Council (STC)
- Proves that an enemy can be an ally
o Egypt also expanded its military and naval capacities to ensure protection
because they have one of the busiest maritime trade routes in the world,
the Suez Canal
o Countries in this region want to diversify and build their military
capabilities to secure their strategic interests, thus the formation of
strategic partners and alliances that can be useful
o Council of the Arab and African Countries of the Red Sea and the Gulf of
Aden:
- The council shows a broad spectrum of cooperation between the
nations:
- Links Arab and African sides of the red sea that have shared
interests
- Example of an alliance created for the purpose of joint long-term
strategic interests

o Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF)

- Another key partnership formed in 2019
 - Seeks to bring energy-rich countries of the Eastern Mediterranean
to pursue common interests

o The Abraham Accords

- a peace agreement signed by the UAE and Israel at the end of 2020
- The intend to cooperate in agriculture, environment, innovation,
and technology
- The agreement also includes articles that promote the cooperation
between Israel and the Gulf states in the field of oil transportation
o Normalization Agreements and the Abraham Accords:
- Three camps are divided around the Arab world regarding
accepting and normalizing agreements with Israel in the Arab world
o “Israel-Sudan Normalization Agreement” - Israel, Sudan, and the United
States issued a joint statement to normalize relations.
- Advance the cause of peace in the region
- End belligerence between the two nations
- Creation of economic and trade relation
- Discuss agriculture, technology, aviation, migration
o “Israel-Morocco Normalization Agreement”
- allow the two to work to promote increased economic cooperation,
- reopen the liaison offices in Rabat and Tel Aviv
o 2 important symbols of Islam One is the Dome of the Rock, and the other
is the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
o “Liberating al-Aqsa” - is a compelling and powerful concept: culturally,
emotionally, politically, and religiously.
o Iran and Turkey: Fanning the Flames of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- They have appropriated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to achieve
their own hegemonic aspirations.
- described the agreement between Israel and the United Arab
Emirates as “a betrayal of the Palestinian cause and that the
Emirates sacrificed the Palestinians on the altar of their political
interests.

8. Chapter 9 - The Changing Middle East | And Its Impact on the Trajectory of the Israeli-
Palestinian Conflict. 504-542
o Six-phases of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict:
1. Agricultural and Domestic disputes
2. Domestic conflict based on nationalism & War between Arab
countries and Israel
3. Invasion of Sinai, Gaza, Golan Heights
 4. War between Israel and Egypt (Saadat) & Peace Treaty
5. Intifada, Oslo Accords, Second Intifada
6. Israel withdrew from Gaza & PA and Hamas.
o Palestinian Priority to the Arabs
- Decline: Palestinian stubbornness, Hamas and IJIP side with Iran
and Turkey.
o Peace to prosperity – a new vision for the Palestinian people and the boarder
middle east
o Response to the treaty
1. Israel – Public opinion
2. Palestine – rejection
3. The region - Arab Peace Initiative.
o How Important was Trump’s Plan?
o Significance – 1. A message from the Arabs 2. Set elements of the settlements 3.
Set tone for future frameworks
o Mahmoud Abbas and the Elections
o Abbas’ Assumptions
- Hamas at crossroads
- Election structure
- Majority of votes
o Two Goals of the Election: 1. Priority to Arabs 2. Abbas’ Legacy
o Two Major Palestinian Powers:
1. The Palestinians National Authority (PA) and its Fatha movement
2. Islamist Movement Hamas
o Abbas Canceled the Elections
- Hamas was demonstrating one united political front
- Abbas canceled the elections was the growing concern among the
alliance of moderation powers that Hamas would win and take over
the West Bank
- Biden administration was transparent that it thought that the time
was not suitable for such elections
o Turkey funds religious and cultural nonprofit organizations in the West Bank—
areas that the Palestinian Authority controls
o Turkey funds religious and cultural non-profit organizations in East Jerusalem and
has purchased properties in the Old City of Jerusalem
o What Led to the War?
- The Palestinian inner split
- The power struggle between Hamas and Fath
- The canceling of the elections
 -
The continuing erosion of the Palestinian cause on the political
agenda of the Arab world
o What Were the Outcomes of the War?
- Has dragged Gaza to more despair and destruction.
- Sacrifices Gaza and the people of Gaza to advance Iran’s
- hegemonic aspirations.
- Perpetuates the Palestinian split, and therefore blocks the path
- toward any future of hope
- Damages Palestinian arguments and the Palestinian’s image in
- the world

9. Chapter 10 - Constructively Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. 543-557

o Main idea of the presentation is that israel and palestine did not get along it is
import to have agreements 
o Israel founded 1946
o Oslo Peace
o Israel founded as a country by the british
o Plaestinian held their first intifada uprising 
o Palsetin under israel control split between two pieces of land
o Different religions and disagreements overland
o First palestinian intiada , protests characterized by shooting rocks, drone,tanks. 
o Oslo peace treaty; agreement to recognize each other as independent countries 
o Lacking language skills
o Egypt and gaza share a border, advantageous location due to proximity
o Egypt has closed to rafah passage way from egypt to gaza trying to avoid all the
conflicts 
o Establish council representation alliance
o Economic development projects in Gaza
o Two takeaways: both sides must agree to all the changes discussed in this counsel
and focus on arrangements 

10. Chapter 11 - Last Minute Update | The Taliban Reclaims Afghanistan 558-586
o 80% of the Afghans are Sunni Muslims
o 19% are Shia
o Tribal society
o Formed by young Afghans “mujahedeen”
o They ruled according to extreme radical sharia law
o Ideology comes from Hanafi and Hanbali school (Sunni Islam) and Sufiism (a
deep Islamic worship).
o US invasion (October 2001)
- George Bush was the US president at that time

o US withdrawal
- After 20 years of fighting Taliban and the US signed a peace treaty
in Qatar.
- The peace treaty had a couple of amendments.
o Global powers
- Russia, China, and Iran are US rivals.
- They used to benefit from the US invasion
- Taliban consider them all as enemies
- All the three global powers wanted to deepen their influence in
Afghanistan
o Rise to power “again”
- Talibans started to rule again in 2021
- ISIS began as Al-Qaeda branch but became an independent entity
in 2014.
o Water is a major conflict between Afghanistan and Iran
o Iran is the most critical trans-shipment point for Afghan drugs
o Afghanistan dominates the “opium” market worldwide Afghanistan supplies 80%
of the world opium
o Iran benefits from drug trade as a good source of income
o Russia has always had complex relation with Muslims living within their
boundaries
o Talibans and Al-Qaeda are in power struggle with ISIS
o ISIS and Al-Qaeda have a Salafi-jihadi ideology which includes the “takfir”
ideology.
o They believe they should spread the correct manner of Islam by one way or the
other
o Salafi-jihadi groups believe that the middle east is ruled by fake Muslim
governments especially Saudi Arabia
11. Chapter 12 - The End of Western Hegemony in the Middle East 587-604
o Hegemony, leadership and dominance 
o Failure policy 
o Idealpolitic believes western values and ideas should be at the core of domestic
and foreign policies
o “operation iraqi freedom” 
o Western countries want to maintain a god diplomatic relationships with the
middle east while adhering to their values and advancing their interests 
o Canadian government tweeted : concerned for the woman rights violations in
saudi arabia, sa responded by essentially cutting diplomatic ties with canada 
o They froze all commercial trades with canada and saudi arabia 
o Threats and evil , treat and evil have created confusion in cultural and intellectual
decisions 
o The US carried out an operation in iran and that assassinated the general of iraq
o Iran nuclear deal - Negotiations to sanction iran’s nuclear program
o The US withdraw during the trump's administration 
o The age of ignorance : social media feeds off of people’s interest by utilizing easy
to digest narratives and slogans 

12. Chapter 13 - The Biden Administration and the Middle East, November 2020 through
August 2021 | A View from the Region 605-626
o Jan 2021 – Biden sworn in as a 46th president of the USA
o Democratic party – return of the democrats to the white house
o Senate – democratic part now has a narrow majority in the senate
o November 2020-February 2021
- A Mixture of Suspicion and Cautious Optimism
- Israel’s government and right wing along with Arab governments
had concerns over Biden.
- Obama caused instability in the Middle East - outreach to Iran and
Muslim Brotherhood
o The fear of Arab Governments is due to
- Obama supported and defended the Arab revolutions
- Biden having similar ideologies
o Throughout 2021
- There was a change of tune in the arab world because they sensed
the weakness of the democratic party. Especially regarding the
Iranian case.
- The US does not confront Iran’s aggression.
 - Tense relationship with Saudi Arabia because of the
Administration’s policy with Yemen
o Iran and the Biden Administration
- Trump placed sanctions while Biden resorts to verbal
condemnations
- They tested Biden by launching several attacks in his first 8 weeks
in office
- Lebanese political commentator Mostafa Fahs wrote “Did Iran Bet
on A Trump Win?”
- Suggests that Iran hoped trump would win
o Bush
- Accepted Iran’s grip on Iraq
o Obama
- Accepted Iran’s grip on Syria
- Legitimized the Iranian nuclear program
o Ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi elected in 2021
o Under Raisi, Iran refused to return to the JCPOA unless are sanctions were lifted.
o Biden administration refused to lift these sanctions
o To put pressure on the west, Iran:
- Boosted Uranium Enrichment throughout 2021
o Strong western Resistance
- Biden and the EU are in agreement
o Relationship between the US and Israel fluctuated from one extreme to the
other from 2010 to 2020
o Netanyahu claims it is a “historic mistake”
o Concerns over Biden’s election as he served as Obama’s VP
o The change of the Israeli government eliminated any chance of potential friction
o New government was formed under Naftali Bennett
o Trump’s regime was the most Pro Israeli regime and therefore the most Anti
Palestinian
o Deals between Arabs and Israel increased

13. Chapter 14 - China & India | The Eastern Giants 2021 | The Middle East Is Entering a
New Era 627-639
o Power balance of the middle east 
o India ‘s role in the power balance of the middle east 
o Understanding : the challenge for the future power balance will be to enforce the
idea of participation 
 o India has 7 borders share, seventh largest country in the world, fifth largest
economy 
- Potential superpower
- Maintains close contact with the gulf countries, depend on th
energy suppliers oil and gas 
- Most of india’scrude oil suppliers come from the gulf 
- The middle east region plays a vital role in india’s economy
o China 1.4 billion people 
- Depend on ties with them middle east 
- Connect between both is the belt and road initiative progress 
- Chinese infrastructure that connects china to different locations in
the middle east 
- Largest investors and in iran
- Largest trading partner to kuwait, oman,saudi arabia, and the arab
emirates 
- heavily invests in israel 
- plays a role and in the balance power of the middle east 
o India interconnect politics 
o China is becoming powerful in the middle east 
o Both china and ida has role china even more 

14. Is There a New Middle East? What has Changed, and What hasn’t?
o “The revolution will go on until the real republic has been established”
o The Dominant Regime:
- High Military Spending
- Repressive public culture
- Low human development indices
- Islamist movements: the main form of political opposition
o Petro-Capitalism: The Dominant Regime
- Hydrocarbon-poor countries are integrated through their migrant
workers, and investments from GCC countries
- Policies by IFI, IMF, and world bank promoted that regime
o A diplomatic Reorientation
- Formation of American-Saudi-Egyptian Axis
- Corrective revolution to eliminate Nasserist/left-wing members
- New left party arose to challenge Sadat’s policis
- Rise of islamists encouraged by Arab regimes
o Arab Regimes encouraged Islamists presence
o Tunisia abandoned its “socialist experiment”, and Sadat adopted the “open door”
o Increase in price of oil
 o Arab socialism and leftists politics weakened
o The oil boom of the 1970s accelerated labour immigration to the Gulf
o Saudi Arabia and Iran: USA’s “twin-pillars” back in 1969
o Iranian revolution rendered the twinpillars
o USA wants to rely on Egypt
o IMF refuse to loan Egypt, so Egypt turned to aid from the Gulf
o Morsi nationalized several Saudi infrastructure, causing conflicts
o Egypt is still an officer’s republic - More prominent role for the president
o Tunisia - Elements from pre-2011 remain in place

15. What Future for the Private Sector in the New Middle East? Ishac Diwan 40
o A dynamic private sector is essential for creating the jobs that increasingly educated
youth aspire to in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
o Two major recent shocks will reshape the political economy of the region
o Political Settlements and state business relations
- state-business relations (SBRs), society- state relations, and the
relationships between these two domains.
o “Crony capitalism”
- different types of crony relations are prevalent across the world and
lead to different types of economic outcomes.

- can represent different types of exchanges, depending on the type

of political system in which they are in.

o Privileged firms might get, at minimum, a commitment to secure property rights. These
relations tend to be personalized, trade protection, or privileged access to public
contracts, credit, lands.
o privileged firms might provide three types of pay back to politicians.
1. politically connected firms may pay back the favors they receive
by generating economic growth, taxes, and jobs.
2. In the second type, they provide a financial payback to politicians.
This might include direct support to finance election campaigns
and capture the media.
3. In the third type of payback, politically connected firms might play
an even more active political role
o SBRs will have some elements of each of the three types of relationship
o one type of relationship will likely be dominant
o Political and social conditions might have a positive or negative effect on SBRs. There
are at least three mechanisms that matter in this.

- must be healthy, equipped with marketable skills, and protected

from market shocks.
- the provision of social services should be financeable
- social demands should not increase political risk (as this weakens
investment motive) or creates unsustainable pressures.

o When social demands rise, reestablishing political stability requires adjustments.

Adjustments might take different forms, depending on social and political
circumstances.
o SBRs depends mainly on the scale of social demands and on the government survival
strategies.
o The Contradictions of Crony Capitalism
- chose to selectively liberalize their economy but not their polity

- economic liberalization took place in the 1990s.

- Governments brought new business elites into the ruling union
while they pushed out old allies
o The survival strategies adopted by governments thus resulted in an economic
liberalization that rested on a narrow form of capitalism.
o Regional Variations in Settlements
- The first relatively successful model is the one provided by the Gulf
Co- operation Council (GCC)
- The second model is that of a controlled but relatively well-
managed capitalism
- The third model is one of a weak state in which the private sector
carries out its activities in the holes of state influence.
- The fourth and most successful growth episode in the
neighborhood, but not in the Middle East proper, is that of Turkey
between 2002 and 2013, when the country experienced extended
growth after the Justice and Development Party (or AK Party) came
to power.
o More openness or Autocratic restoration

- The governments that emerged from the uprisings of 2011 inherited

a system that failed to deliver strong growth but enabled at least a
few politically connected firms to flourish.
- In the countries affected by the uprisings, there was no certainty
that the property rights of the elites that had previously been
 protected from state predation would continue to be protected in the
future.

16. 3 Education and Human Security: Centering the Politics of Human Dignity Laurie A.
Brand 58
o Menna education crisis background 
o Education was quantity over quality large amount of poorly funded unorganized
systems 
o Transitions from independence to authoritarian regime 
o Schools are target for violence 
o Freedom from fear  (safety from any physical or mental harm)
o Freedom from want(basic human needs)
o Freedom from indignity ( protection of fundamental rights) 
o Poverty and lack of education from a vicious cycle 
o Turkey: they authoritarian turn: turkish nationalism regime 
o Turkey purging the academy 2016 we will not be party to this crime
o Protest in response to 2018 education budget cuts
- 21 000 private school teachers  fired
- 2346 university academic personnel fired
o President bouteflika prioritize kabyle for reelection
o Tamazight becomes official language in 2016 
o West bank and gaza : colonial occupation
o Plestinian are seen as second class
o Schools are frequently bombed and destroyed
o Iraq: sanctions, invasion and insurgency  
o Iraq : neither national identity nor human dignity can be secured in the context of
and educational system directed by the interests of an occupying power
o Isis was born as  result
o Political military threats to education, educators, and student have long
compromised the region’s prospects for meaningful development,security
o Lack of freedom from want,fear, dignity 
o Case studies demonstrate how educational systems are disrupted in different ways

17. 4 Myths of Middle- Class Political Behavior in the Islamic Republic Kevan Harris 75
o Declining old middle class
o Youth and disillusionment 
o More educational attainment is typically associated with an increased preference
behavior toward democratization
 o Objective class: no difference between Rouhani voters of upper,middle.
o Young educated ,middle class  
- young educated middle class is not creating difference
o Middle class is a cohesive group
o Young people are more likely to vote for progressive candidates
o Educated people vote for more progressive candidates

18. Islamism at a Crossroads? The Diffusion of Political Islam in the Arab World. Peter
Mandaville 106
o Islamism the belief tat islam should guide political as well 
o Islamism as an ideology and a political agenda given the context of the arab
spring 
o Results of election in 2014 where Al Nahda lost power and left office 
o An approach of social movements that is heavily influenced by political ideology 
- It argues that success or failure is by political opportunities
o 1st category: islamist stagnation, 2nd category:gradual islamist ascendence, ans
3rd category: high likelihood of islamist wildcard effects 
o There is a widespread fractionalization amongst islamist groups and the stiffling
climate in various middle eastern and north african countries makes it difficult for
islamist groups to operate both socially and politically
o Islamist trends and future
o Ennahda supporters in tunisia 
o The muslim brotherhood still enjoys 30% even after the fall of morsi 
o Saudi arabia and UAE currently oppose the rise of islamism and are fighting this
ideological battle against qatar and turkey
o Overall it is hard to predict the future of islam given regional upheaval and associated
volatility in the political fortunes of islamic parties, what is clear is that islamists still
exercise power in the region in spite of the many challenges they face  

19. 7 Islamists before and after 2011: Assuming, Overlooking, or Overthrowing the
Administrative State? Nathan J. Brown 123
o Isis an islamic state they dressed like early islam 
o Administrative state
o There is a growing realization of the extent of the modern state and the
tremendous scope of its administration tools
o Islamists in the middles east and north africa have tended to shy away from
discussing the nature of the state 
o Saudi arabia’s certainly demanded an islamic political system 
 o The more common approach was to assume a state,demand a virtuous ruler,and
then ask what a state guided by virtue should do . 
o Islamists approached the states indirectly 
o Since the fall of ba this regime in egypt and the rise of islamic state 
o For syrians, exit can entail high levels of risk both within and outside the country,
as internet security forces (mukhabarat) operate among the syrian diaspora
o Exit provides a safe distance from which to engage in protests or to demonstrate
loyalty without direct exposure to the authoritarian state or war
o Members of historical syrian diasporas could safely express loyalty to the regime
without having lived under its authoritarian
o Those who migrated more recently, the uprising was an opportunity to effect
change in the homeland that often directly spoke to their reasons for migration  

20. 8 Homeland (Dis-)Engagement Processes among the New Syrian Diaspora Lindsay A.
Gifford. 137
o Lebanon and its fight for independence
o The demonstrations took place at the same as those in iraq
o Tired of the political system , tired of the bad economy, tired of iran’s
influence over the country 
o Deeper insight into dissatisfaction - people were tired of the lack of
welfare and the people wanted a change that would be sustainable
o Fighting over identity the people wanted a system that would not favor
only one ethnic group
o Shitte militia group in lebanon inspired by ayatollah 
o Hezbollah has been government since 2005 the reason why lebanese
people are protesting 
o Sa’ad al din al-hariri, hassan Diab a an prime minister ( the lebanese
parliament elected him) 
- Despite this people were not satisfied with the new prime minister 
o The president and his government ar accused of having ties with hezbollah
o Protests ended due to covid19, however, they started again in March and
became increasingly violent
o Mega explosion in the port of beirut; enormous damage in Beirut
o The people saw this as more superficial disappointment on the part of the
government
o The divisions between sunnis and shiites have increased 
o The lebanese people chose to go out in protest against the leaders in
lebanon 
21. 9 Saudi Arabia: How Much Change?
o Mohamed bin salman: 7ths son of king salman , Prime minister and crowned prince 
o King salman abd el aziz al saud last of the series of half brothers since the death of the
founding king i 1963, came to power in 2015 : political and economic crisis 
o Iran’s conflict : supporting fellow arabs monarchs with 100 billion 
o The second crisis : oil prices the fell from 100 to 45 per barrel
o Government revenues fell by almost 60%
o Blocked khalid bin sultan to get father’s position
o Dissatisfaction in ruling family circles about the rise of MBS 
o Lifted its ban on women driving automobiles
o Power of the religious police have been reduced 
o Gender segregation has been loosened not eliminated 
o Women now have access to new public entertainments, and joined labor workforce
o Saudis into the workforce particularly the private sector, reducing reliance on foreign
labor and increasing local productivity
o   Economic issues
- Increase of the role of the private sector
- Create more jobs for Saudis
- A value added tax on consumer purchases 
o The foreign policy
- Negotiations with iran and other world powers that would lead the
joint comprehensive plan of action, the iran nuclear deal that lifted
international sanctions on tehran
- Obama administration had supported the removal of egypt’s
president hosni mubarak for turn of muslim brotherhood 
-
o No change in the political reform, still authoritarian 
o Centralizing powers in the hand of the crown prince 
o Real change in social power, enhancing women’s freedom and workforce
o Changes in foreigh policies are significant, but they don't add up to a fundamental shift
in the goals.

22. Turkish foreign policy & the middle east

o Turkey has emerged as a major actor in the Middle East, characterized as neo-
ottoman.
o AKP planned a “zero-problems with the neighbors” policy which led to relations
with countries that had been hostile to Turkey, AKP aimed to increase visibility in
the world.
o The EU opened negotiations with Turkey, and it won leadership positions in the
Islamic Conference Organization
o Turkey improved its relations with all regional countries, with Syria that these
relations improved the most.
o Turkey initiated visa-free travel and signed scores of commercial agreements
including some free trade ones with Middle Eastern countries, in order to help in
this pursuit for new export markets.
o Erdogan reacted very strongly to Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, and Erdogan
emerged as a champion of the Palestinians.
o Turkey tried to keep all its options open in the region.
o Turkey has been supportive of Iran on the nuclear question
o The Arab Springs affected Turkish middle east policy, Egypt in 2010 absorbed
some 2 percent of Turkish exports compared with Tunisia’s 0.6 percent.