Demystifying the Middle East

Why does the Middle East remain at the center of global headlines more than a century after the fall of the Ottoman Empire? This course explores the key themes and turning points shaping the modern Middle East since World War I, with particular attention to Iran’s pivotal role in the region’s transformation.

We begin with the region’s evolution during the classical Islamic, Ottoman, and Safavid eras before examining the competing wartime agreements that reconfigured Middle Eastern territories.

From there, we trace the creation of new mandates and states and the political developments that followed through the colonial period and into independence.

Key topics include the establishment of Israel and the Palestinian refugee crisis (1948), the rise and decline of Pan-Arab nationalism (1952–70), the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and its regional consequences, the geopolitics of oil, and new forms of political Islam.

We also examine the Arab Spring, recent conflicts across the region, Iran’s evolving role, and the implications for US foreign policy.