Social and Revolutionay Movements in the Middle East

This course will attempt to put the current popular uprisings sweeping
across the Middle East and North Africa into historical and comparative
perspective.  We will begin by analyzing the causes, objectives, methods,
ideologies (nationalist, anti-colonial, Islamist, democratic),
configuration of supporters, and leadership characteristics of the
important social and revolutionary movements in the Middle East during the
20th Century.   What distinguished the movements that succeeded in
achieving their objectives from the ones that failed?

We will then turn to the current wave of protests.  Why did the protesters
in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya manage to topple their respective
governments, and what is the likelihood that other countries in the region
will follow their examples.  Do having close relations with the US, being
a rentier state, having a military that is institutionally autonomous, and
being divided along ethnic, sectarian, and tribal lines help or hinder the
task of regime change or modification?  We will conclude by assessing the
prospects for transitions to democracy in the aftermath of successful
government/regime ousters. Is it possible to increase the likelihood that
transitions to democracy, should they come about, will be made sustainable
and enduring?