Politics of the Middle East

This course provides an overview of politics in the Middle East through the 2010-2011 Arab Spring uprisings. We interrogate the main debates surrounding the democratic deficit in the region to understand whether recent developments mark change or continuity. We explore whether and how a variety of factors such as foreign intervention, oil, and religion have contributed to persistent authoritarianism in the Middle East through evidence in the realms of redistribution, gender politics, political mobilization, and public opinion. The course combines academic and popular writing, documentaries, twice-weekly lectures and weekly precept meetings.