Current Issues in the Middle East

New Content Every Term! What lies ahead for a turbulent Middle East? Against a backdrop of ongoing conflicts, shifting alliances, and challenges to longstanding regional arrangements, fundamental questions about security, sovereignty, political stability, and the prospects for peace have taken on renewed urgency.

This course invites participants to examine these developments through the lens of history, exploring the competing interests, regional dynamics, and international forces shaping events. Particular attention will be given to distinguishing immediate crises from deeper historical patterns and considering their implications for the region and the wider world.

Anticipated topics include U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; the consequences of the U.S.–Israel confrontation with Iran; shifting regional alliances and security challenges in the Persian Gulf; the future of Gaza and Palestinian national aspirations; Israeli policies in the West Bank and Lebanon; Syria's uncertain political trajectory; and continuing instability in Yemen and the Red Sea.

Longer-term challenges—including economic diversification, demographic pressures, authoritarian governance, and environmental concerns—will also be considered as circumstances warrant.

When available, guest specialists will contribute additional perspectives, while lively class discussion will encourage participants to consider the difficult choices confronting the Middle East—and their consequences for the wider world.