| Mid-term essay | Written essay on the following question: “Defend your approach to politics!” You are required to select an IR approach and defend it by using references to Gulf politics. How do you see the world? How would you explain it? Please ensure that your essay incorporates a minimum of 5 references from the readings listed in the syllabus. It should be 1500 words in length, with a permissible margin of error of up to 10% of the word count. Deviations beyond this range will result in a deduction of grades. |
| WEEK | CLASS TOPICS | CLASS MATERIAL AND READINGS |
WEEK 1 | Introduction to Gulf Foreign Policy Analysis Course introduction, objectives, syllabus and assessment overview.Key concepts and theories in foreign policy analysis.Overview of the Gulf: geography, historical context, and political culture. Seminar questions: Why did you prefer the Gulf studies program?What is your expectation from the GULF 611 course?How do you characterize the dynamics of Gulf politics? | Required Readings:Mehran Kamrava, “Politics in the Persian Gulf: An Overview”, Chapter 1 in Mehran Kamrava (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics (Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2020).Chapter 1 in David Commins, The Gulf States: A Modern History (London; New York: I. B. Tauris, 2012).Hudson, Valerie M. (2012), “The History and Evolution of Foreign Policy Analysis,” in Steve Smith, Amelia Hadfield, and Tim Dunne (eds.) Foreign Policy: Theories, Actors, Cases (Oxford University Press), pp. 13-34. Recommended Readings: Dunne, Tim, Kurki Milja and Steve Smith (2010). International Relations Theories, (Oxford University Press), pp.1-10. |
WEEK 2 | Major Frameworks & Theories: Levels of Analysis Seminar question (small group discussion): Select a Gulf-related case and analyze it using one of the three levels of analysis | Required Readings:Springer, David. J. Levels of Analysis Problem in International Relations.Carlnaes, Walter. (2012). “Actors, Structures, and Foreign Policy Analysis,” in Steve Smith, Amelia Hadfield, and Tim Dunne (eds.) Foreign Policy: Theories, Actors, Cases (Oxford University Press), pp. 113-129.Williams, Phil, Donald Goldstein and Jay M. Shafritz “The Structure of the International System,” in Classic Readings in International Relations, pp 57 – 78. Recommended Readings: Breuning, Marijke. Foreign Policy Analysis: A Comparative Introduction, (Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Chapter 2.Richard Snyder, H. W. Bruck and Burton Sapin. Foreign Policy and Decision-Making (Revisited). (Palgrave MacMillan, 2002). Chapter 2 |
WEEK 3 | Major Frameworks & Theories: Analytical Perspectives Seminar question (small group discussion): Discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis OR Iranian Nuclear Deal by using one of the three models of analysis: Rational Actor ModelOrganizational Process ModelThe Bureaucratic Politics Model | Required readings:Allison, Graham (1971). Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1ed. Little Brown.Breuning, Marijke. Foreign Policy Analysis: A Comparative Introduction, (Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Chapter 3.Luciano Zaccara, “The Iranian foreign policy in turbulent times: The Arab uprisings, the nuclear deal and the GCC crisis”, Revista Española de Ciencia Política, 56, 49-70. |
WEEK 4 | Major Frameworks & Theories: Two-Level Games Theory Seminar question (small group discussion): Examine the Iranian Nuclear Deal through the framework of Putnam’s Two-Level Games Theory. | Required readings:Kenneth M. Pollack, The Persian Puzzle: The Conflict Between Iran and America (New York: Randomhouse), 2005.Corneliu Bjola & Ilan Manor (2018) Revisiting Putnam’s two-level game theory in the digital age: domestic digital diplomacy and the Iran nuclear deal, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 31:1, 3-32, DOI: 10.1080/09557571.2018.1476836.Knopf, J. (1993). Beyond two-level games: Domestic–international interaction in the intermediate-range nuclear forces negotiations. International Organization, 47(4), 599-628. doi:10.1017/S0020818300028113Toby Matthiesen, Sectarian Gulf: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the Arab Spring That Wasn’t (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2013). |
WEEK 5 | Decision-Making Models (rationality, cognitive biases, group dynamics, and bureaucratic politics) Seminar question (small group discussion): Analyze the Qatar-Gulf Crisis by using decision-making models discussed in class. | Required readings:Hagan, Joe D. “Does Decision Making Matter?” in Systemic Assumptions vs. Historical Reality in International Relations Theory, Richard Snyder, H. W. Bruck and Burton Sapin. Foreign Policy and Decision-Making (Revisited). (Palgrave MacMillan, 2002). Chapter 4.Richard Snyder, H. W. Bruck and Burton Sapin, Foreign Policy and Decision-Making (Revisited) (Palgrave MacMillan, 2002), Chapter 3.Noof Rashid AlDosari, “Qatar Crisis: GCC States’ Perception of Regional Powers”, in Mahjoob Zweiri et al. (ed.s), The 2017 Gulf Crisis: An Interdisciplinary Approach (Singapore: Springer, 2021.Breuning, Marijke. Foreign Policy Analysis: A Comparative Introduction, (Palgrave MacMillan, 2007). Chapter 4. |
WEEK 6 | Realism (Classical, structural, geopolitical) Balance of power in the GulfGCC as a (non) stabilizerNational security of Gulf states Seminar question (small group discussion): Examine the Qatar-Gulf Crisis through the lens of one of the realist approaches. | Required readings: Saoud Al-Eshaq Amjed Rasheed, “The ‘David’ in a Divided Gulf: Qatar’s Foreign Policy and the 2017 Gulf Crisis, Middle East Policy, 29: 2, 2022, pp.30-45.Mahjoob Zweiri, Arab-Iranian Relations Since the Arab Uprisings (London; New York: Routledge, 2023). Berni, H. M. E. (2021). The Perceptual Shock of Qatar Foreign Policy in 2017 Crisis: Systemic Factors, Regional Struggles Versus Domestic Variables. Contemporary Review of the Middle East, 8(1), 96–119.Miller, R., Verhoeven, H. Overcoming smallness: Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and strategic realignment in the Gulf. Int Polit 57, 1–20 (2020).Emile Hokayem, “The Gulf states, Israel and Turkiye: reactions to the war in Ukraine”, IISS, 21 February, 2023, https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2023/02/the-gulf-states-israel-and-turkiye-reactions-to-the-war-in-ukraine/. |
WEEK 7 | Geopolitics and Security in the Gulf Regional power dynamics and rivalriesInfluence of external actorsRegional Security Complex Theory Seminar questions (small group discussion): Apply the Regional Security Complex Theory to analyze the security dynamics of the Gulf region. How do overlapping security complexes and identity considerations influence regional stability?Discuss the role of non-state actors, such as militias and transnational organizations, in shaping the security complex of the Gulf region. | Required readings: Barry Buzan and Ole Waever, Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press), 2003, pp. 40-93.Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, The Rise and Decline of the Gulf Cooperation Council, in Mehran Kamrava, Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics (London; New York: Routledge, 2020), pp. 416-431.Houchang Hassan-Yari, “The United States and the Persian Gulf: the art of surviving in stormy waters”, in Mehran Kamrava, Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics (London; New York: Routledge, 2020), pp. 457-473. |
WEEK 8 | Liberalism and Gulf politics Energy diplomacy and the GCCLiberalism vs. Green TheoryClimate change and the GCC Seminar questions (small group discussion) Compare and contrast the principles of liberalism and green theory in the context of environmental governance and sustainability.To what extent does energy diplomacy impact the political and economic dynamics among GCC nations and with other global players?Explore the vulnerabilities of GCC countries to the impacts of climate change. What is the potential for collaboration among GCC countries in addressing climate change? | Required readings: Grotius, Hugo. “The Rights of War and Peace,’ in Selected Readings in International Relations, pp 14-20Bull, Hedley. “The Idea of the International Society” in Selected Readings in International Relations, pp. 20-24.Dunne, Tim, Kurki Milja and Steve Smith (2010). International Relations Theories, (Oxford University Press). pp.95-116.Tareq Y. Ismael and Jacqueline S. Ismael, The Gulf War and the New World Order (University Press of Florida, 1994).Robyn Eckersley, “Green Theory” in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 2nd Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp. 257-278. |
WEEK 9 | Constructivism (sectarianism, culture and identity Case study: War on Terror Seminar questions (small group discussion): Discuss the role of social norms, values, and shared meanings in shaping responses to the War on Terror. How can a constructivist lens enrich our understanding of counterterrorism strategies?Examine how the War on Terror has been framed and understood differently across cultures and societies. How has this framing influenced global counterterrorism policies? | Required readings:K. M. Fierke, “Constructivism”, in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 2nd Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp. 177-194.Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, “International Relations Theory and the Islamic Worldview” in Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan (eds.), Non-Western International Relations Theory: Perspectives on and Beyond Asia, (London; New York: Routledge), 2010, pp. 174-197.Jackson, Robert and Georg Sorenson. International Relations; Theories and Approaches. “Social Constructivism,” pp 158-180.Alexander Wendt, “Anarchy is What States Make of It: The Social Construction of Power Politics” (International Organization, 1992). Recommended readings:Dubois, W.E.B. “Double-Consciousness,’ in The Souls of Black Folk.Bennabi, Malik. A Question of Ideas in the Muslim World. Edited by Muhammad El MasawiHashmi, Nader and Danny Postel (eds.) Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East, (Oxford University Press, 2017). |
WEEK 10 | Post-structuralism and the Gulf Discourse analysisDeconstruction Case study: The humanitarian crisis in Yemen Seminar questions (small group discussion): Apply deconstruction to unpack the narratives and discourses surrounding the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. How might this approach reveal underlying power structures and assumptions?Explore how deconstruction can challenge the binary oppositions often present in discussions of conflicts, such as ‘victim’ and ‘aggressor,’ in the context of the Yemen crisis.How can deconstruction shed light on the international responses to the Yemen crisis? What alternative narratives might emerge when existing discourses are deconstructed? | Required readings:David Campbell, “Poststructuralism”, in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 2nd Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp. 213-238.Lene Hansen, “Discourse Analysis, post-structuralism, and Foreign Policy”, in Steve Smith, Amelia Hadfield, and Tim Dunne, Foreign Policy: Theories, Actors, Cases (OUP Oxford, 2008). Lackner, Helen, and Daniel Martin Varisco, eds. Yemen and the Gulf States: The Making of a Crisis. Gerlach Press, 2018. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1wrpww6.Helen Lackner, “Chaotic Yemen: The Deconstruction of a Failed State and Regional Interferences” AlJazeera Center for Studies, 11 April 2018, https://studies.aljazeera.net/sites/default/files/articles/reports/documents/c0822c5e0962489982e827938811ef91_100.pdf. |
WEEK 11 | The historical context of Gulf foreign policies Marxism, tribalism and historical alliancesColonial legacies and post-colonial nation-buildingThe Iran-Iraq War Seminar questions (small group discussion): Discuss instances where tribalism and Marxism intersected, clashed, or influenced each other in the foreign policies of Gulf nations. How has tribalism shaped alliances and diplomatic strategies in the Gulf region?Analyze how colonial legacies, such as artificial borders and resource extraction, continue to influence Gulf states’ foreign policies and regional interactions.Analyze the strategies Gulf countries employed to navigate the Iran-Iraq War and its aftermath. How did these strategies reflect their national interests and alliances? | Required readings:Mark Rupert, “Marxism and Critical Theory”, in in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 2nd Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp.157-177.Shaheen, Jack. (2003). “Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People,” in The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, volume: 588 issue: 1, page(s): 171-193.Harvey, David. The New Imperialism. (Oxford University Press, 2005). |
WEEK 12 | National Role Conceptions and FPA of the Gulf Small power, middle power, great power conceptsConcepts such as, “regional leader,” “regional protector,” “anti-imperialist agent,” “defender of the faith,” “mediator-integrator,” “regional-subsystem collaborator,” “independent”, etc.Soft power vs. hard power conceptsSmall states as norm entrepreneurs Seminar questions (small group discussion): How do national role conceptions influence the foreign policies of Gulf states? Analyze how different role conceptions can lead to distinct diplomatic strategies and alignments.Discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with adopting roles as small powers, middle powers, or great powers in the context of the Gulf’s complex regional dynamics.Evaluate the factors that have enabled Qatar as a mediator in regional conflicts. How has its chosen role conceptions and power dynamics influenced its mediation efforts? | Required readings:Kalevi J. Holsti, “National Role Conceptions in the Study of Foreign Policy,” International Studies Quarterly 14, no.3, 1970Holsti, “National Role Conceptions in the Study of Foreign Policy,” 260-270.Pınar Akpınar (2015) Mediation as a Foreign Policy Tool in the Arab Spring: Turkey, Qatar and Iran, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 17:3, 252-268.Kamrava, Mehran, “Mediation and Saudi Foreign Policy,” Orbis 57, no.1, 2013: 152-170. Recommended readings:Christen Ingebritsen, “Norm Entrepreneurs: Scandinavia’s Role in World Politics,” Cooperation and Conflict 37, no.1, 2002: 11-23.Waage, Hilde Henriksen, “The ‘Minnow’ and the ‘Whale’: Norway and the United States in the Peace Process in the Middle East,” British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies 34, no.2, 2007, 157-176.Mehran Kamrava, Qatar: Small State, Big Politics (Itacha; London: Cornell University Press, 2015, 2nd edition).Almezaini, Khalid S, and Jean-Marc Rickli. The Small Gulf States: Foreign and Security Policies Before and After the Arab Spring. (Routledge, London: 2017). |
WEEK 13 | Feminism and the Gulf Case Study: Feminist interpretation of the UN sanctions on Iraq Seminar questions (small group discussion): How have feminist perspectives evolved in understanding the gender dynamics and women’s rights issues specific to the Gulf region? Discuss the intersection of feminism with cultural and social norms in this context.Analyze how feminist scholars interpret the impact of UN sanctions on Iraq from a gender perspective. How were women and gender relations affected by these sanctions?How can a feminist lens enrich policy discussions surrounding sanctions and international interventions in conflict zones, particularly with regard to gender-specific consequences? | Required readings: J. Ann Tickner and Laura Sjoberg, “Feminism” in Tim Dunne, Milja Kurki and Steve Smith (eds.), International Relations Theories: Discipline and Diversity, 2nd Edition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010), pp. 195-213.Mandana E. Limbert, “Women’s education, women’s work, and womanhood in the Gulf’s oil monarchies” in Mehran Kamrava (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Persian Gulf Politics (Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2020), pp. 142-151.Claudia Zilla, “Feminist Foreign Policy: Concepts, core components and controversies”, SWP Comment, No.48 August 2022. |
WEEK 14 | Research Paper Presentations |
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