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CHAPTER 14
THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA: THINGS FALL APART
Overview
This chapter provides a broad overview of political and socio–economic trends in the Middle East,
situating the region in the global economy and the global security structure. There is much more
emphasis on conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa in this edition of the textbook than in
earlier editions. The severity of fighting and humanitarian crises in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq
implicates almost all the countries in the region and affects Russia, the EU, and the United States.
The Middle East has been subject to the influence of outside powers for hundreds of years. This
legacy of colonialism and alliances with Western powers has shaped modern developments. The
chapter demonstrates that despite some tensions between the MENA and the “West,” there are
ISIS. The implications for changes in regional geopolitics are also discussed. We also analyze the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict in some depth because it shapes regional dynamics in important ways.
We encourage instructors to tie many themes in this chapter to similar themes discussed in other
chapters (e.g., refugee flows to Europe, FDI flows, deepening authoritarianism, and the weakening
U.S. commitment to a liberal world order).
Key Terms
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Arab Spring
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defensive modernization
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Muslim Brotherhood
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intifadas
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peshmerga
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rentier state
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civil society
Teaching Tips
• This chapter provides an opportunity to discuss how the “weight of history” affects
changes in contemporary political economies. Ask students to assess “how much” can be
explained by referring to developments decades or hundreds of years ago.
• Instructors may want to explain to students who the colonial powers were in different parts of
the MENA and discuss how actions of colonial powers planted the seeds for some current
conflicts.
• Have students identify some of their initial perceptions of countries in the Middle East. Ask
them if the chapter makes arguments or observations that conflict with those perceptions. Have
students enumerate some of the possible reasons why American understanding of the region is
• There are terms besides the “key terms” that may warrant discussion in class. They include:
Mashriq, Capitulations, Eastern Question Game, ijtihad, Zionism, Seven Sisters, peace dividend,
Sunni, Shia, and Islamist.
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• Ask your students to assess the role of the United States in the region. How do their perceptions
of this role contrast with how others in the region perceive U.S. behavior? Ask students to
explain why mainstream U.S. views on Israel often differ from those held by many in the
MENA.
• Ask students to explain in discussion and through writing how their daily lives are directly
affected by and tied to the Middle East—through family ties, historical immigration, troop
deployments, food, and travel. Have students explain whether or not they would seriously
consider traveling to the region, living there, and becoming fluent in one of its languages.
1. Describe some of the significant political divisions and interstate alliances in the Middle
East since 2011.
2. Which Middle East countries are best prepared to face the challenges of globalization?
Explain.
6. Describe several examples of how instability in the Middle East and North Africa has been
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7. What do scholars believe are some of the main impediments to the spread of democracy in
the Middle East and North Africa?
8. In what Arab territories does Israel maintain settlements? Are Israeli or Arab policies
mostly to blame for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
9. What are some of the reasons for the spread of Sunni Islamist extremism and jihadism
since the 1980s?
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions
1) Which of the following statements is incorrect?
a) Morocco is a low-income, significantly agricultural, non-oil-exporting country.
2) Which of these countries has a relatively low per capita GDP and does not export oil?
3) Which statement is incorrect?
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d) Millions of people in North Africa speak a Berber language.
4) Which of these countries does not have a significant Shia Muslim population?
a) Syria
5) The first two countries in which leaders were overthrown during the Arab Spring were
a) Libya and Syria.
6) Which of the following is not cited as an impediment to democracy?
d) access of women to the workforce and leadership roles
7) Which of the following is an important consequence of the Arab Spring?
a) Islamist political parties have refused to participate in democratic elections.
8) Which of these countries did not have a regime change during the Arab Spring?
a) Egypt
9) As of mid-2018, Bashar al-Assad, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were
the leaders of which respective countries?
d) Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Libya
10) Which of the following statements is incorrect?
a) relatively little trade occurs between Arab countries, compared to their overall trade with
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11) Which of following is not a characteristic of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries?
a) Expatriates make up a large percentage of the workforce.
12) Which statement about the MENA would a structuralist most likely disagree with?
a) Dubai’s success rests on the exploitation of hundreds of thousands of poor Asians.
13) Which data below is significantly higher than indicated in the text?
a) In 2016-2017 there were some 52,600 Saudis studying in the United States.
14) Which three MENA countries send the highest number of students to study in U.S.
universities?
a) Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain
15) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the highest number of immigrants to the United
States who were born in the Middle East came from which two countries?
d) West Bank
17) In 2014, ISIS (Islamic State) established control over large swathes of territory in which
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d) Egypt and Syria
18) Which of these definitions is incorrect?
a) The Muslim Brotherhood is a violent jihadist movement with branches in Egypt, the
19) Which of these statements is incorrect?
a) The Arab Gulf countries have one of the lowest rates of female employment in the
Suggested Readings and Links
Abboud, Samer N. Syria. 2nd ed. Malden, MA: Polity, 2018.
Middle East Institute. See especially their weekly podcast called “Middle East Focus” which
Mundy, Jacob. Libya. Malden, MA: Polity, 2018.
Pappe, Ilan. Ten Myths about Israel. Brooklyn, NY: Verso, 2017.
Phillips, Christopher. The Battle for Syria: International Rivalry in the New Middle East.
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Haymarket Books, 2017.
Springborg, Robert. Egypt. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2018.
Stern-Weiner, Jamie, ed. Moment of Truth: Tackling Israel-Palestine’s Toughest Questions. New
York: OR Books, 2018.
Audiovisual Resources
5 Broken Cameras. Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, dirs. Guy DVD Films, Alegria Productions
and Burnat Films Palestine, 2011. Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary. A
personal account of Palestinian non-violent resistance in the West Bank village of Bil’in.
Confronting ISIS. Reported by Martin Smith. FRONTLINE production with RAINmedia,
Goodbye Aleppo. Christine Garabedian, dir. BBC Arabic, 2017. “A team of four young citizen
journalists document their final days in Aleppo as the battle rages around them
(Journeyman Pictures website).
Last Men in Aleppo. Feras Fayyad, dir. Larm Film, 2017. “The devastating Syrian civil war is
brought to life through the eyes of a group of volunteer rescue workers in Aleppo known as the
White Helmets” (Netflix website).
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Smith…reports from Iraq on how the country began coming undone after the American
withdrawal and what it means for the U.S. to be fighting there again” (FRONTLINE
website).
The Siege of Qatar. Aljazeera documentary, 2018. Examines the GCC’s blockade of Qatar
and its effects on the country.
The Square. Jehane Noujaim, dir. Noujaim Films and Makeshift Productions, 2013.
Chronicles Egypt’s Arab Spring protests and their aftermath. Nominated for an Academy
Award for Best Documentary.