M5D1: Sunni-Shia divide in regional and international relations

37249M5D1: Sunni-Shia divide in regional and international relations

Shiite protesters in Bahrain, demanding more political freedoms for their majority in minority-Sunni led Bahrain; Saudi Arabia would later intervene to crush the movement. Source: John Moore, Getty Images. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. For this module you have read about the Sunni-Shia polarization that is creating new dynamics of cooperation and competition among states in the region. For this activity, you should focus on specific effects of this divide.

Concentrating on the Sunni-Shia divide in the region, respond to the following:

Describe one example of Sunni-Shia conflict in the region.
In what way is the conflict more reflective of (or driven by) a domestic threat/challenge as opposed to an external threat/challenge, as you see it?

Required Reading:

Fawcett, Louise. 2013. International Relations of the Middle East. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 185-244.

Laub, Z. and Masters, J. (2014, August 8). Backgrounder: Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/islamic-state

Gause, G. (2014, July). Beyond Sectarianism: the New Middle East Cold War Brookings Doha Center Analysis Paper, No. 11, pp.1-27. [PDF, File size 318.88KB]

Module Notes: Foreign and Security Affairs in the MENA Region