Middle-East Politics

• • A week-by-week guide to the topics you will explore in this subject will be provided in your study materials.

Equivalent subjects

You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:

• MAQ-PLTX278 (Not currently available)
• MAQ-POIX278-Middle-East Politics (No longer available)

You must have successfully completed the following subject(s) before starting this subject:

• MAQ-POIX1080-Introduction to Global Politics

Others

NCCW (pre-2020 units) PLTX278, POL278, POL266, POL268, POIX278 Pre-requisite: 40cp at 1000 level or above OR (10cp in POL or POIR or POIX units) NCCW (2020 and onwards) POIR2780 Middle-East Politics

Additional requirements

• Other requirements -

  Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.

This subject was previously known as POIX278 Middle East Politics.

The uprisings that gripped the Arab world in 2011, the ongoing violence in Syria, the mixed results of the revolution in Egypt and the emergence of ISIS in 2014 have refocused world attention on the Middle East and its relations with the West. This course introduces students to the domestic politics of the Middle East, and to the intellectual and ideological currents shaping those politics. The first weeks are devoted to the contemporary history of the region from the late nineteenth century to the rise of post-colonial states in the region. Broad-ranging theoretical concepts necessary for an understanding of Middle Eastern political processes, and different ways of looking at those processes, are considered in the first part of the course. The subject then examines the structure of government and the politics of the region, drawing on some of the ideas from the earlier part of the course. Particular attention is paid to the region’s ongoing relations with the West and the “war against terrorism”; the emergence and future prospects of religious fundamentalism; and the rise of Arab nationalism and Zionism. The Arab-Israeli conflict, the 2003 Iraq War and the impact of globalisation are also covered.

• Online Exam (40%)
• Essay (60%)