Current Issues in the Middle East

“Current Issues in the Middle East,” one of the longest and most celebrated courses in the ILR’s Middle East program, is designed to explore and explain the shifting dynamics of this critical crossroads of civilization. Each week, the latest news from the region is presented and contextualized. Based on current events as they unfold, the instructor, a career educator and area specialist, will draw upon myriad resources to explain breaking developments in a historical context, identifying key players, exploring interrelationships, and analyzing their impact regionally and globally.

 

Weekly topics are driven by the news. Among those being considered for the fall term are the effects of new U.S. administration’s statements and actions on long-standing policies and alliances in the region, domestic reconciliation in and regional reintegration of Syria after the fall of the decades-old Asaad regime, ongoing death and destruction in Gaza and Sudan, the apparent demise of Hezbollah and corresponding resurgence of Lebanese nationalism, consequences of the Houthis’ “axis of resistance” on maritime commerce in the Red Sea, and renewed efforts toward brokering a second nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Topical issues, such as the resilience of regional authoritarianism and the impact of widespread climate change, will also be examined.

 

Through lectures, selected readings, films, guest speakers, and group discussion, it is expected that after taking this course participants will be better equipped to understand and address some of the most critical issues of our time with a greater level of confidence.