US Foreign Policy in Arab ME

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course will offer an introduction to the complex historical and contemporary relationship between the United States and the Middle East by examining the U.S. involvement in the region from the nineteenth century, with the main focus on the period of the post-Second World War to the present day. It will shed light on the depth of the US political, economic, and cultural involvement in the region, critically survey the U.S. formulation of its strategic interests in the region, assess the ideological and domestic variables (e.g., media, lobby, NGOs, private corporates, military presence ...), among others, in shaping and pursuing these interests in the Middle East. We will consider long-term relations in the American approach to the region, and diverse interpretations of these relations. However, the U.S. role in the Middle East will be also examined from the lens of the region’s own perspective whether constructive or harmful since its current and ongoing deep involvement has become decisive in influencing regional dynamics. In other words, this course aims to provide some understanding of the most volatile region in the world by highlighting the role played by the most powerful, yet challenged actor in the Middle East.