Factors shaping contemporary MENA politics

369911. To what extent do current domestic challenges in the MENA region find their roots in the politics of the global arena?
2. Has post-Cold War US foreign policy prevented the growth of democracy in the region? Why or why not? Use two specific state examples.

M2D1: Factors shaping contemporary MENA politics:

Libyan rebels battle Gaddafi forces for control of Tripoli. Photographer: Daniel Berehulak. Retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest Observers of the MENA region often comment on the penetration of external powers in local politics during the Cold War. There might have been the expectation that once that era ended, the United States and other powerful countries would have less interest in and influence on the region. However, with continued important oil resources and the post-September 11 ideological battle with militant Islam, the MENA area both continues to have an effect on external relations and is affected by global challenges beyond the region. For this activity, you are to consider ways in which these relations play out and their effects.

Drawing on your reading of Chapter 4 in Fawcett and reading of contemporary events in such sources as the New York Times (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site., answer the questions listed above.

Required Reading:
• Fawcett, Louise. 2013. International Relations of the Middle East. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 60-100.
• Motadel, David. (2015, May 23). ‘Defending the Faith’ in the Middle East. New York Times.
• Module Notes: The Historical and Contemporary Background of the MENA region
View:

The road to 9/11: A brief history of conflict in the Middle East [Video file]. (2005). Retrieved March 12, 2018, from https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=103647&xtid=40909

Optional:
The following may be interesting to you because they contain the original texts of significant Cold War documents you read about in Chapter 3 of Fawcett:

Truman Doctrine http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp

Baghdad Pact http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/baghdad.asp