International Politics AND THE Middle East

This course provides an in-depth study of international politics in the Middle East. Following an introduction on the historiography of International Relations (IR) and Middle East Studies (MES), the course provides a historical background on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the imposition of the modern state system in the Middle East. The course then covers how the disciplines of IR and MES have dominantly interpreted international politics in the Middle East in three time periods:
1) The (Arab) Cold War with a realist perspective on alliance systems in the region, an English School perspective on the Middle East in international society, as well as an International Political Economy perspective.
2) The US unipolar moment with a focus on regional security complexes, constructivist perspectives on regional identity politics, critical theory on the US-led invasion of Iraq/war on terror, as well as liberal approaches/the international liberal order.
3) The (post-)Arab uprisings period with a study of the impact of domestic politics on international relations, neo-classical realist perspectives on evolving security dynamics, as well as feminist, poststructural, and postcolonial approaches to interpret international politics in the Middle East in a multiplex world.
The course also features three in-depth study modules which will focus on a) energy and environmental politics in the Middle East, b) conflict and peacebuilding in the Middle East, as well as a c) methodology module to prepare the students to write their final research papers.

This course is at the M.A. level and as such assumes that students already have background knowledge in political science and/or Middle East studies. M.A. students who pursued their B.A. in disciplines diverse from Political Science and/or who have never taken a basic IR course are advised to prepare for the course with the following textbook which provides an easy entry point into the discipline: Dunne, Tim, Milya Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds), International Relations Theories. Discipline and Diversity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Students who would like to prepare themselves for the course with an historical entry point to the region, are advised to read the following textbook which provides comprehensive historical and thematic overview: Cleveland, William L., and Martin Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East. Routledge, 2025.

Erasmus students who are at a B.A. level are advised to take the Erasmus friendly B.A. course “Relazioni Internazionali”.

Textbook 1 (all chapters): Fawcett, Louise. International Relations of the Middle East. OUP Oxford, 2023 – Hardcopy available in our library
Textbook 2 (chapters: 3, 6, 11, 12, 15): Bouris, Dimitris, Daniela Huber and Michelle Pace (eds). The Routledge Handbook of EU Middle East Relations. Routledge, 2022 – Chapters provided by professor upon request
Textbook 3 (chapter 5, 15): Hinnebusch, Raymond and Jasmine Gani (eds). The Routledge Handbook to the Middle East and North African State and States System. Routledge, 2020 – E-copy available in our library

Amin, Samir. Imperialism and Unequal Development. Monthly Review Press, 1976.
Anziska, Seth. Preventing Palestine: A Political History from Camp David to Oslo. Princeton University Press, 2018.
Bajoghli, Narges. How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare. Stanford University Press, 2024.
Barnett, Michael N. Dialogues in Arab Politics: Negotiations in Regional Order. Columbia University Press, 1998.
Bayat, Asef. Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East. Stanford University Press, 2010.
Bilgin, Pinar. Regional Security in the Middle East: A Critical Perspective. Routledge, 2019.
Davis, Diana K., Edmund Burke III, Timothy Mitchell. Environmental Imaginaries of the Middle East and North Africa. Ohio University Press, 2011.
Ehteshami, Anoushiravan, and Niv Horesh, eds. How China’s Rise is Changing the Middle East. Routledge, 2019.
Fakhoury, Tamirace, ed. Refugee Governance in the Arab World: The International Refugee Regime and Global Politics. I.B. Tauris, 2025.
Hanieh, Adam. Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power and the Making of the World Market. Verso Books, 2025.
Hashemi, Nader, and Danny Postel. Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East. 1 edition. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Imseis, Ardi. The United Nations and the Question of Palestine: Rule by Law and the Structure of International Legal Subalternity. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
Jung, Dietrich. Islamic Modernities in World Society: The Rise, Spread, and Fragmentation of a Hegemonic Idea. Edinburgh Univ Pr, 2025.
Kamel, Lorenzo. The Middle East from Empire to Sealed Identities. Edinburgh University Press, 2019.
Mabon, Simon. The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
Makdisi, Karim, and Vijay Prashad, eds. Land of Blue Helmets: The United Nations and the Arab World. First Edition. University of California Press, 2016.
Makdisi, Ussama. Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World. First edition. University of California Press, 2019.
Mitchell, Timothy. Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil. Verso, 2013.
Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. Vintage Books, 1993.
Sarto, Raffaella A. Del. Borderlands: Europe and the Mediterranean Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2021.
Verhoeven, Harry. Environmental Politics in the Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2018.
Walt, Stephen M. The Origins of Alliances. Cornell University Press, 2013.

The course combines frontal lectures on theories, concepts, methodologies and approaches supported through manuals, didactic methodologies of deep learning used in class, as well as student presentations on key readings in IR and MES which gives students the possibility to directly engage with paradigmatic readings and deepen their understanding of them. Class discussions are a central component of the course and will focus on the analysis of key theoretical paradigms in IR and MES and their application to selected case studies. Students will be expected to do the required readings, keep abreast of current affairs, participate in class, and prepare a group presentation, as well as a substantive final research paper.

Minimum Attendance Requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 70%; if further absences are recorded, grade penalties will be applied. Students who attend less than 50% of the course are not considered eligible for a passing grade. Not attending a class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally not be counted as an absence. Students who will need to miss class in order to observe religious holidays must notify me beforehand to make up for the work missed.

Assessment for the course will be based upon:
a) Class participation (20%)
b) Group presentation (30%)
c) Final research paper (50%)

Grading criteria for each of these components are as follows:

a) Class participation will be graded according to 1) regular participation in class debates and 2) an ability to critically analyze the required readings, as well as theories, concepts and themes introduced in class.

b) The group presentations focus on key works in the IR literature. Students should present the assigned reading only (not the related book chapter in the manual). Presentations need to have a well-organized and clear structure, should introduce the author(s) of the text, demonstrate an ability to summarize the argument and main ideas presented in the respective assigned reading, illustrate it with a case study of choice, raise critical comments to the argument, and introduce related questions to be discussed in class. They also need to respect the given time constraints.

c) The final research paper is graded according to the following criteria (see also separate handout with more detailed instructions, including also the deadlines of the final research paper):
- Focus: Is there a clear purpose, research question, and argument which is then supported throughout the paper?
- Originality: Does the paper have an original argument or approach?
- Organization: Is the paper organized well in introduction, analytical sections and conclusions? Is the analytical section well organized in empirical and theoretical parts?
- Research: Is the claim well supported through research of sufficient primary and secondary sources? Are the sources well integrated?
- Content: Is the content well presented and argued? Are ideas detailed, well-developed and supported with specific evidence and facts, as well as examples and specific details?
- Style: Is the paper written in an academic tone? Is it suited to the audience it aims to address? Is a coherent referencing style used? Grammar/spelling/syntax/punctuation?

This course provides an in-depth study of international politics in the Middle East. Following an introduction on the historiography of International Relations (IR) and Middle East Studies (MES), the course provides a historical background on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the imposition of the modern state system in the Middle East. The course then covers how the disciplines of IR and MES have dominantly interpreted international politics in the Middle East in three time periods:
1) The (Arab) Cold War with a realist perspective on alliance systems in the region, an English School perspective on the Middle East in international society, as well as an International Political Economy perspective.
2) The US unipolar moment with a focus on regional security complexes, constructivist perspectives on regional identity politics, critical theory on the US-led invasion of Iraq/war on terror, as well as liberal approaches/the international liberal order.
3) The (post-)Arab uprisings period with a study of the impact of domestic politics on international relations, neo-classical realist perspectives on evolving security dynamics, as well as feminist, poststructural, and postcolonial approaches to interpret international politics in the Middle East in a multiplex world.
The course also features three in-depth study modules which will focus on a) energy and environmental politics in the Middle East, b) conflict and peacebuilding in the Middle East, as well as a c) methodology module to prepare the students to write their final research papers.

This course is at the M.A. level and as such assumes that students already have background knowledge in political science and/or Middle East studies. M.A. students who pursued their B.A. in disciplines diverse from Political Science and/or who have never taken a basic IR course are advised to prepare for the course with the following textbook which provides an easy entry point into the discipline: Dunne, Tim, Milya Kurki, and Steve Smith (eds), International Relations Theories. Discipline and Diversity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016. Students who would like to prepare themselves for the course with an historical entry point to the region, are advised to read the following textbook which provides comprehensive historical and thematic overview: Cleveland, William L., and Martin Bunton. A History of the Modern Middle East. Routledge, 2025.

Erasmus students who are at a B.A. level are advised to take the Erasmus friendly B.A. course “Relazioni Internazionali”.

Textbook 1 (all chapters): Fawcett, Louise. International Relations of the Middle East. OUP Oxford, 2023 – Hardcopy available in our library
Textbook 2 (chapters: 3, 6, 11, 12, 15): Bouris, Dimitris, Daniela Huber and Michelle Pace (eds). The Routledge Handbook of EU Middle East Relations. Routledge, 2022 – Chapters provided by professor upon request
Textbook 3 (chapter 5, 15): Hinnebusch, Raymond and Jasmine Gani (eds). The Routledge Handbook to the Middle East and North African State and States System. Routledge, 2020 – E-copy available in our library

Amin, Samir. Imperialism and Unequal Development. Monthly Review Press, 1976.
Anziska, Seth. Preventing Palestine: A Political History from Camp David to Oslo. Princeton University Press, 2018.
Bajoghli, Narges. How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare. Stanford University Press, 2024.
Barnett, Michael N. Dialogues in Arab Politics: Negotiations in Regional Order. Columbia University Press, 1998.
Bayat, Asef. Life as Politics: How Ordinary People Change the Middle East. Stanford University Press, 2010.
Bilgin, Pinar. Regional Security in the Middle East: A Critical Perspective. Routledge, 2019.
Davis, Diana K., Edmund Burke III, Timothy Mitchell. Environmental Imaginaries of the Middle East and North Africa. Ohio University Press, 2011.
Ehteshami, Anoushiravan, and Niv Horesh, eds. How China’s Rise is Changing the Middle East. Routledge, 2019.
Fakhoury, Tamirace, ed. Refugee Governance in the Arab World: The International Refugee Regime and Global Politics. I.B. Tauris, 2025.
Hanieh, Adam. Crude Capitalism: Oil, Corporate Power and the Making of the World Market. Verso Books, 2025.
Hashemi, Nader, and Danny Postel. Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East. 1 edition. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Imseis, Ardi. The United Nations and the Question of Palestine: Rule by Law and the Structure of International Legal Subalternity. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
Jung, Dietrich. Islamic Modernities in World Society: The Rise, Spread, and Fragmentation of a Hegemonic Idea. Edinburgh Univ Pr, 2025.
Kamel, Lorenzo. The Middle East from Empire to Sealed Identities. Edinburgh University Press, 2019.
Mabon, Simon. The Struggle for Supremacy in the Middle East: Saudi Arabia and Iran. Cambridge University Press, 2023.
Makdisi, Karim, and Vijay Prashad, eds. Land of Blue Helmets: The United Nations and the Arab World. First Edition. University of California Press, 2016.
Makdisi, Ussama. Age of Coexistence: The Ecumenical Frame and the Making of the Modern Arab World. First edition. University of California Press, 2019.
Mitchell, Timothy. Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil. Verso, 2013.
Said, Edward W. Culture and Imperialism. Vintage Books, 1993.
Sarto, Raffaella A. Del. Borderlands: Europe and the Mediterranean Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2021.
Verhoeven, Harry. Environmental Politics in the Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2018.
Walt, Stephen M. The Origins of Alliances. Cornell University Press, 2013.

The course combines frontal lectures on theories, concepts, methodologies and approaches supported through manuals, didactic methodologies of deep learning used in class, as well as student presentations on key readings in IR and MES which gives students the possibility to directly engage with paradigmatic readings and deepen their understanding of them. Class discussions are a central component of the course and will focus on the analysis of key theoretical paradigms in IR and MES and their application to selected case studies. Students will be expected to do the required readings, keep abreast of current affairs, participate in class, and prepare a group presentation, as well as a substantive final research paper.

Minimum Attendance Requirement: Students must attend a minimum of 70%; if further absences are recorded, grade penalties will be applied. Students who attend less than 50% of the course are not considered eligible for a passing grade. Not attending a class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally not be counted as an absence. Students who will need to miss class in order to observe religious holidays must notify me beforehand to make up for the work missed.

Assessment for the course will be based upon:
a) Class participation (20%)
b) Group presentation (30%)
c) Final research paper (50%)

Grading criteria for each of these components are as follows:

a) Class participation will be graded according to 1) regular participation in class debates and 2) an ability to critically analyze the required readings, as well as theories, concepts and themes introduced in class.

b) The group presentations focus on key works in the IR literature. Students should present the assigned reading only (not the related book chapter in the manual). Presentations need to have a well-organized and clear structure, should introduce the author(s) of the text, demonstrate an ability to summarize the argument and main ideas presented in the respective assigned reading, illustrate it with a case study of choice, raise critical comments to the argument, and introduce related questions to be discussed in class. They also need to respect the given time constraints.

c) The final research paper is graded according to the following criteria (see also separate handout with more detailed instructions, including also the deadlines of the final research paper):
- Focus: Is there a clear purpose, research question, and argument which is then supported throughout the paper?
- Originality: Does the paper have an original argument or approach?
- Organization: Is the paper organized well in introduction, analytical sections and conclusions? Is the analytical section well organized in empirical and theoretical parts?
- Research: Is the claim well supported through research of sufficient primary and secondary sources? Are the sources well integrated?
- Content: Is the content well presented and argued? Are ideas detailed, well-developed and supported with specific evidence and facts, as well as examples and specific details?
- Style: Is the paper written in an academic tone? Is it suited to the audience it aims to address? Is a coherent referencing style used? Grammar/spelling/syntax/punctuation?