Ideas for next year's course

Next year, we will indeed get to the global conflicts earlier in the semester. We will stick to the Israeli/Palestinian issue to begin with, but we will look at British involvement in the area more closely through an examination of T.E. Lawrence, both in the Arab revolt and at the Paris Peace Conference, then go on to look at the Zionist movement and the creation of the state of Israel, ending with the big peace summit assignment.
Please post comments and suggestions!

Excellent video on Lebanon

Anthony Bourdain is a chef and travel writer who was filming a show on the recovery of Beirut's food scene when he and his crew get trapped in the outbreak of fighting with Israel. Worth a look for the sense of loss and tragedy he captures.
No Reservations: Beirut

Israel/Palestine

President Bush's speech to the Knesset in honor of Israel's 60th anniversary. Full text of the speech is available here.

Saudi social restrictions

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/world/middleeast/12saudi.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&th&emc=th

- Neat article from today's Times

Isreali/ Palestine

Before the Great War the Middle East was ruled under one empire, the Ottoman Empire. But when conflict started it opened up doors to separation, unwilling to close. The Ottoman Empire was up against some of the world’s most powerful countries: Britain, France, Italy, Russia and eventually United states. Winning the war, the Allied forces, consisted of both a powerful military force and powerful ideas/compromises. The Allied powers were determined to win the war, which lead to go to the highest of the highs to accomplish there goals and keep their promises to the Jew and Arabs. The consequences of their actions lead to a continuation of conflict between nations in the Middle East.
Before the war was over the British and the French came to an agreement about what would take place with the Empire when the war was over. This secret agreement is known as the Sykes-Picot Accord. The contents of this concord said that the Ottoman Empire would be split between the British and the French once the war came to a complete stop. Looking beyond this settlement, in 1917 the British promised a home for the Jews, the Balfour Declaration, in order to win over their support in the war. At the same time the British gained support from Arabs in Mecca under the leadership of Sharif Hussein, in return the British would grant them
Palestine and they could be independently ruled. Along with this split of nations, both having their own piece of land, at the end of the war, Saudi Arabia decided not to join the League of Nations and Turkey established a republic in order to stay out of the international conflicts. The large Middle East formally ruled under one empire then broke up into many pieces that within time began to have much conflict with one another. Along with the devastation of separation there was also a large amount of wasteland because of the many battles fought in the area. Not only were the people separated but the war resulted in a lot of economic trouble for everyone.
The terms of the agreements were not deliberated thoroughly before any action was taken. Because today we can see that each agreement has many careless errors that didn’t affect the British and French but it profoundly affects the people that live in the Middle East today. The decision to split Palestine into three, in order to return the favor to the Jews and Arabs, was one of the worst decisions made. The conflict over land continues today because of the issue of ownership of Jerusalem and complete control of Palestine. The effect of WWI and the peace agreements that were made shaped the Middle East to lag behind in technology and modern thoughts about how a society should be ran. This Area is very much separated by religion and conflict which in the end does not allow room for modernization. Due to the many conflicts with in the Middle East and its resentment towards the west, this area will always be many steps behind the other parts of the world.

Israel/Palestine

#2

Zionism is, at its core, a belief in the need for a homeland for the Jewish people. The movement, which was formally begun by Theodor Herzl, was originally a response to strong anti-Semitism across Europe and quickly gained support following the Holocaust and became the dominant Jewish political movement.

In 1917, however, this movement became much more significant with the Balfour Declaration, which supported the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This declaration was formulated by the British government and was formally agreed upon by the League of Nations (what would become the U.N.)

Meanwhile, Arabs in Arab Palestinians resisted this declaration from the very beginning. Before World War I, Arab nationalism was relatively moderate and the generally only called for increased autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. However, During World War I, the Arab leader Hussein bin Ali corresponded with the British High Commissioner in Egypt during what is known as the McMahon-Hussein Correspondence. Although this correspondence did not result in a written treaty and the territorial boundaries laid out by the letters were ambiguous, McMahon's promises were seen by the Arabs as a formal agreement between them and Great Britain. At the same time, the Sykes-Picot Agreement was formed between Britain and France which agreed upon the division of the Arab lands between the two powerful countries. This agreement was followed through with, and in the following years, Arab nationalism became focused around anti-British rule sentiments.

Imperialism, Nationalism, and Terrorism

Imperialism and nationalism are in stark contradiction of each other. Imperialism seeks to dominate and control a nation, essentially eliminate national identity through submission, while nationalism serves to empower national identity and inspire unity therein.  Powerful cultures have established rule over the weak throughout history, always asserting authority and control over their subjects.  Even if the ruling power does not force assimilation on its subjects, there are always laws that command submission and privileges for the dominant culture that elevate their people.  In the Islamic Empire, Muslims did not have to pay taxes, but instead had the honor of serving in the very successful Muslim army.  During the British Empire, the English made a valuable global market of slave trade and slave labor.  In a more abstract sense of “empire,” the U.S. has established control over weaker countries in its history.  It has controlled the Philippines as a colony and Puerto Rico as a territory, and has covertly controlled power changes to work in its favor in many countries.

It is almost impossible to promote nationalism with the control and submission inherent to imperialism.  A submissive government works beneath a superior control, and therefore cannot control its interests and agenda.  If the government does not work toward the advancement of its own culture, it squashes nationalism. Beyond inspiring pride, nationalism inspires revolution and fights for political power.  Throughout history, nationalism is constantly seen to be a cause for overthrow, independence, and domineering militancy.  The U.S., the Palestinians, and the Nazis are clear examples of this. 

This is where terrorism comes into play.  If nationalism can cause violent revolution and mass genocide, it can cause terrorism.  It is widely accepted in the world today that every culture has the right to its own state and government.  Conflict over this issue can be seen with Tibet, the Balkans, and Israel/Palestine.  In weakness and desperation, terrorism is sometimes seen as the only way for a group to gain the upper hand in a conflict.

The Middle East is the product of a broken empire, facing the struggle of forging independent national identities and acting upon these identities.  While territorial warfare was common and accepted in ancient times, it is presently unacceptable.  Those who have not yet forged nations face more than simple territorial warfare.  On top of warfare, they must navigate through global politics, economics, diplomacy, and morality.  In conflicts like that of Israel and Palestine, parties resort openly to terrorism because it has become an inherent part of the battle.