Raffaella A. Del Sarto

The course aims at introducing students to the history, politics and ‘trans-Mediterranean relations’ of North Africa and the Mediterranean Middle East (MENA). Starting with the exploration of the emergence of the modern state system in the region, the course will examine the post-colonial politics of MENA countries. In this context, a number of key issues will be addressed, such as state-society relations, authoritarianism and reform, the role of the military, regional dynamics, conflicts, the strategic importance of the region, political Islam, and democracy and human rights. Attention will also be paid to the relations of MENA states to their European neighbor(s), including to the European Union as a whole, in the realms of trade, migration, and democracy promotion. The course will conclude with a discussion of the recent Arab uprisings and their implications for the politics and international relations of the MENA region. (Cross listed Middle East Studies/International Development)

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is among the most protracted and seemingly irresolvable conflicts of modern times. It is also a conflict that attracts much international attention while standing at the centre of heated political debates. The objective of this course is to provide an in-depth understanding of the conflict from its origin to the present, starting with the clash between Zionism and Arab-Palestinian nationalism during the British Mandate, the period of interstate rivalry between Israel and its Arab neighbours, the watershed event of the 1967 war, and the return to a struggle between Israel and the Palestinians in the last decades. While the course is structured chronologically, special attention will be paid to the different interpretations of history and contrasting narratives of the conflict. Of central importance are the questions of why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not been solved yet, and whether peace is possible. (Cross listed Middle East Studies/International Development/International Relations) (CM)

This course aims to study the multifaceted and complex relationship between Europe/the European Union and the states of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Starting with the history of European colonialism in the Middle East, the course will examine the post-colonial policies of single European states towards the region, together with the declarations, policies and practices of the European Community, and later European Union, from the 1970s onwards. Suggesting a widely overlooked degree of interconnectedness between Europe and the Middle East, special attention will be paid to Europe-Middle East relations in the realms of trade, migration and border control, security cooperation and democracy promotion. The conceptualisation of the policies of the EU and of single MENA states, together with questions pertaining to power relations, interdependence and leverage in Europe-Middle East relations will also be discussed. (Cross listed Middle East Studies/Europe and Eurasian Studies)