1

Introduction and Course Orientation

2

IR Theories and the Middle East

Dunne, T., Kurki, M. & Smith, S. (2016). International Relations Theory. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Lawson, F. (2016). ‘International Relations Theory and the Middle East.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 21-38). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

3

The Middle East and the Modern State System

Hinnebusch, R. (2015). The International Politics of the Middle East. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press (pp. 64-86).

Rogan, E. (2016). ‘The Emergence of the Middle East into the Modern State System.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 39-61). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

4

The Middle East: The Cold War and The Post-Cold War

Hinnebusch, R. (2015). The International Politics of the Middle East. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press (pp. 225-271).

Sluglett, P. (2016). ‘The Cold War in the Middle East.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 62-78). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Korany, B. (2016). ‘The Middle East Since the Cold War: The Multi-Layered (In)security Dilemma.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 79-104). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

5

The Politics of Identity in Middle East International Relations

Hinnebusch, R. (2015). The International Politics of the Middle East. Manchester, U.K.: Manchester University Press (pp. 64-86).

Hinnebusch, R. (2016). ‘The Politics of Identity in Middle East International Relations.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 155-75). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Wehrey, F. (2017). Beyond Sunni and Shia: The Roots of Sectarianism in a Changing Middle East. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

6

The Arab-Israeli Conflict

Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2020.

Shlaim, A. (2016). ‘The Rise and Fall of the Oslo Peace Process.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 285-303). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Smith, C. (2016). ‘The Arab-Israeli Conflict.’ In Louise F. (Ed.), International Relations of the Middle East (pp. 259-84). Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

7

The US-Led War in Afghanistan

Brownlee, J. (2024). ‘Foreign-Imposed Regime Change and the American War in Afghanistan,’ Political Science Quarterly 139(3): 361-385.

Malkasian, C. (2021). The American War in Afghanistan. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Walldorf, C. (2022). ‘Explaining the Length and End of U.S. Military Operations in Afghanistan,’ International Security 47(1): 93-138.

8

Mid-term Exam

Course Review and Discussion

9

The US-Led War in Iraq

Leffler, M. (2022). Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University.

Miller B. (2010). ‘Explaining Changes in U.S. Grand Strategy: 9/11, the Rise of Offensive Liberalism and the War in Iraq,’ Security Studies 19(1): 26-65.

Schmidt, B. & Williams, M. (2008). ‘The Bush Doctrine and the Iraq War: Neoconservatives Versus Realists,’ Security Studies 17(2): 191-220.

10

Civil War in Syria and the Refugee Crisis

Bentley, M. (2014). ‘Strategic Taboos: Chemical Weapons and US Foreign Policy,’ International Affairs 90(5), 1033-1048.

Quesnay, A. (2018). Civil War in Syria: Mobilization and Competing Social Order. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.

Zelin, A. (2023). The Age of Political Jihadism: A Study of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. London, U.K.: Rowman & Littlefield.

11

IS and Terrorism

Byman, D. (2015). Al Qaeda, The Islamic State, and The Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.

Byman, D. (2016). ‘Understanding the Islamic State—A Review Essay,’ International Security 40(4): 127-65.

Paasche, T. F., & Gunter, M. M. (2016). ‘Revisiting Western Strategies Against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,’ The Middle East Journal 70(1): 9-29.

12

Iran and the Shia Crescent

Barzegar, K. (2008). ‘Iran and The Shiite Crescent: Myths and Realities,’ Brown Journal of World Affairs 15(1): 87-99.

Cakmak, C. (2015). ‘The Arab Spring and the Shite Crescent: Does Ongoing Change Serve Iranian Interests,’ The Review of Faith and International Affairs 13(2): 52-63.

Helfont, S. (2009). ‘The Muslim Brotherhood and the Emerging Shia Crescent,’ Orbis 53(2):284-299.

Paunic, N. (2016). ‘The Rising Shi’a Crescent: Iranian Smart Power and Implications for the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf,’ Carleton Review of International Affairs 3: 70-92.

13

Qatar and Small Power Diplomacy

K. Lina (2013). ‘Qatar’s Foreign Policy: The Limits of Pragmatism,’ International Affairs 89(2): 417-431.

Kamrava, M. (2011), ‘Mediation and Qatari Foreign Policy,’ Middle East Journal 65(4): 539-556.

Szalai, M. (2020). ‘Small Regimes in the Middle East: A Conceptual and Theoretical Alternative to Small States in a Non-Western Region,’ International Politics 59(2):167-186.

14

US-Saudi Foreign Relations Under the Shadow of Ukraine War

Gause III, F. (2023). ‘The Kingdom and the Power: How to Salvage the US-Saudi Relationship,’ Foreign Affairs 102(1): 115-125.

Hope, B. and Scheck, J. (2020). Blood and Oil: Mohammed bin Salman’s Ruthless Quest for Global Power.London, U.K.: John Murray Press.

Sadjadpour, K. (2023). ‘The New Battle for the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran’s Clash of Visions,’ Foreign Affairs 103(6): 79-91.

15

The 2023 Gaza War and the Arab-Israeli Normalization

Indyk, M. (2024). ‘The Strange Resurrection of the Two-State Solution,’ Foreign Affairs 103(2): 8-22.

Lynch, M. and Telhami, S. (2024). ‘The Two-State Mirage,’ Foreign Affairs 103(2): 23-31.

Kaye, D. and Vakil, S. (2024). ‘Only the Middle East Can Fix the Middle East,’ Foreign Affairs 103(2): 32-43.

Benn, A. (2024). ‘Israel’s Self-Destruction,’ Foreign Affairs 103(2): 44-55.

16

Final Exam

Final Essay

Final Essay (5,000-5,500 words)