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International Relations of the Middle East

Module description

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region of stark contrasts. From some perspectives it appears to have a strong cohesiveness, with numerous historical, cultural, religious and economic relations which bind it together into a unitary whole. From other perspectives, divisive forces, internal and external, historical and contemporary, are ever-present and seem to combine to fragment the region into several areas of conflict and competition. More recently, rebellion and the re-alignment of old alliances point to a new era of both division and the need for intensive reform or conflict management.

This module will acquaint you with the dynamics and main trends and events in the international politics of the MENA; and help you to explore whether and how particular International Relations approaches may be applied to the MENA. You will be guided in the range of views held by different authors and will be encouraged to both engage critically with them and develop your own positions.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The main aims of the module are: to introduce students to the diversity and depth of an International Relations (IR) analysis of MENA politics; to discuss the application to this region of general IR theories, theories of regionalism and foreign policy analysis; to develop critical analysis of sources, paradigms, writers and policies; and to deepen students’ knowledge of key events, trends and actors in the region.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. demonstrate in-depth knowledge of key issues in the International politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA);
• 2. demonstrate a detailed and critical understanding of the actors, dynamics and trends in the regional politics;
• 3. demonstrate familiarity with, and critical application of, the main analytical frameworks that relate to the international relations of the MENA

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 4. find, use and analyse secondary and primary data relevant to specific issue areas;
• 5. place contemporary issues in larger contexts;
• 6. deploy critical arguments in analysing issues and evaluating sources

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. work independently and in groups including the presentation of material for group discussion;
• 8. demonstrate strong analytical skills; digest, select and organise material; and
• 9. demonstrate excellent writing skills including the ability to produce well organised and coherent essays to a deadline; practice in articulating and defending positions on the seminar topics

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

• Studying the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from an international relations perspective
• The MENA regional system
• Application of IR theories to the MENA
• Regionalism in the MENA
• Foreign policy analysis
• The Gulf sub-region
• The Levant sub-region & Israel-Palestine conflict
• The Maghreb sub-region
• External actors (1): the US and China
• External actors (2): the EU and Russia
• The impact of the 2011 uprisings

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Fawcett, L. (ed.) (2013) International Relations of the Middle East (3^rd ed.) (Oxford University Press).
• Hinnebusch, R. (2015) The International Politics of the Middle East (2^nd ed.) (Manchester University Press).
• Halliday, F. (2005) The Middle East in International Relations (Cambridge University Press).
• Hinnebusch, R. and A. Ehteshami (eds.) (2014) The Foreign Policies of Middle East States (2^nd ed.) (Lynne Rienner).
• Korany, B. and A.E.H. Dessouki (eds.) (2008) The Foreign Policies of Arab States: The Challenge of Globalization (3^rd ed.) (AUC Press).
• Adler, E., F. Bicchi, B. Crawford and R.A. del Sarto (eds.) The Convergence of Civilizations: Constructing a Mediterranean Region (University of Toronto Press).
• Barnett, M.N. (1998) Dialogues in Arab Politics: Negotiations in Regional Order (Columbia University Press).
• Braveboy-Wagner, J.A. (ed.) (2003) The Foreign Policies of the Global South. Rethinking Conceptual Frameworks (Lynne Rienner).
• Cleveland, W. (2004) A History of the Contemporary Middle East (Westview).
• Ferabolli, S. (2014) Arab Regionalism: A Post-Structural Perspective (Routledge).
• Fürtig, H. (ed.) (2014) Regional Powers in the Middle East: New Constellations after the Arab Revolts (Palgrave Macmillan).
• Hinnebusch, R. (2003) The International Relations of the Middle East (Manchester University Press).
• Ismael, T.Y. and G.E. Perry (eds.) (2014) The International Relations of the Contemporary Middle East. Subordination and After (Routledge).
• Mason, R. (ed.) (2014) The International Politics of the Arab Spring: Popular Unrest and Foreign Policy (Palgrave Macmillan).
• Milton-Edwards, B. (2006) Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (Polity Press).
• Nonneman, G. (ed.) (2005) Analyzing Middle East Foreign Policies and the Relationship with Europe (Routledge).
• Salloukh, B. and R. Brynen (eds.) (2004) Persistent Permeability? Regionalism, Localism and Globalization in the Middle East (Ashgate, 2004).
• Telhami, S. and Barnett, M.N. (eds.) (2002) Identity and Foreign Policy in the Middle East (Cornell University Press).
• Zoubir, Y.H. and H. Amirah (eds.) (2008) North Africa: Politics, Region, and the Limits of Transformation (Routledge)
• Zoubir, Y.H. and G. White (eds.) (2015) North African Politics: Change and Continuity (Routledge).

Key words search

International Relations Middle East Politics