The United States and the Middle East

INS 3310/INS 5322

Al Akhawayn University
Fall 2014
Syllabus
Building 8 Room 13
Instructor: Dr. T. Jeremy Gunn
Office Hours: M/W 17:00-18:00; T/R 14:00-16:00; F 9:00-12:00
Office address: Building 7 Room 111
E-mail: J.Gunn@aui.ma
Course background and intended learning outcomes
This course is designed to promote critical thinking about the role that the United States has
played in the Middle East, particularly since World War II. We will seek to overcome
simplistic explanations and the stereotyping of peoples and policies by pursuing a more
sophisticated and balanced understanding of the underlying issues. It is common for many
both in the West and in the East to think of Middle Eastern conflicts as part of a larger
Clash of Civilizations between the East and West or between Muslims and Zionists.
Our goal will be to go beyond these limited narratives and try to understand the complexities
of the conflicts.
It is generally recognized that the United States government was largely uninvolved in the
Middle East before World War II. Prior to 1942, with a few exceptions that will be discussed
in class, the United States government played almost no diplomatic, military, or political role
in the region. Early activities by American individuals and groups were principally in the
fields of missionary work, education, charitable activities, trade, and business. Beginning in
1942, with the American-led United Nations invasion of French-occupied Morocco and
Algeria and with the establishment of the Persian Corridor supply route that provided
military and economic aid to the Soviet Union, the United States began to play a significant
role in the region. It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the United States did not arrive
in the Middle East until 1942 and that it never left afterwards.
American foreign policy in the Middle East has largely been shaped by an interaction of 6
salient and interrelated factors: first, the rise of American power generally; second, the search
for independence and autonomy among the peoples of the Middle East; third, the increasing
strategic importance of petroleum to the American and world economies; fourth, the role of
Israel; fifth, Cold War competition between the United States and the Soviet Union (19451989); and sixth, the rising importance of religion and Islamist movements particularly
after 1979. While these 6 factors may be the most salient, it should not be forgotten that the
U.S. government has had many other important though less dramatic concerns in the region,
including the (often inconsistent) promotion of economic development, trade, democracy,
and human rights.
For many peoples understanding of the role of the United States in the Middle East, the
elephant in the room is Israel. Although the United States played a brief but significant role
in the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, the United States was relatively uninvolved with
Israel in the 1940s, 1950s, and even early 1960s. In 1956, when Britain, France, and Israel

launched an ill-conceived invasion of Egypt (the Suez Crisis), the United States pushed
back against its allies and essentially forced the three countries to withdraw. The United
States began to provide limited military supplies to Israel only during the Kennedy
administration (1961-1963), but it was not until later in the 1960s and 1970s that the U.S.
government finally became a major supplier of military and economic aid to Israel.
It is not possible to understand fully the relationship between the United States and Israel by
beginning a study in 1948 (or later). Although the United States played virtually no role in
the British seizure of Palestine from the Ottoman Empire in 1917 nor in the post-World War I
creation of the League of Nations mandates, it is important to understand those
developments in order to appreciate more completely the role today of the United States in
Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria and beyond. Accordingly, the early 20th
century background of the Middle East will be examined in some depth early in the course,
even though the United States itself played a very modest role during these critical formative
years.
As surprising as it might seem, during most of the twentieth century the United States was
the worlds leading oil exporter. The United States was the worlds most important oil
producer during World Wars I and II and it was not until 1970 that it became a net importer.
During the first third of the twentieth century, the western country that was most active in
pursuing Middle Eastern oil was Great Britain, which dominated oil production in the region
until at least 1960. Although private American oil companies had long pursued opportunities
in the Middle East, it was the 1938 discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia by the American
consortium Casoc (which evolved into what is today Aramco) that led to a major
transformation of American interests in the Middle East. In 1945, the founder of the modern
Saudi dynasty, King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud, met with President Franklin Roosevelt (who died
only weeks later) and formed an alliance.
For practical purposes, the 1945 understanding between President Roosevelt and King Abdul
Aziz Ibn Saud has shaped the long-term relationship between the Saudi dynasty and the
United States that, despite many significant disagreements, has been one of the long-term
principal factors affecting Middle Eastern politics. Although it is an oversimplification, it
may be said that this understanding provided that Saudi Arabia would make its oil reserves
available to help stabilize international oil prices in exchange for the United States providing
military security for the Saudi kingdom. The mixing of oil, politics, the military and
increasingly religion will be an ongoing theme in the course.

The person standing (and bending) at the left in the photo, Lt. Col. William
A. Eddy, personifies several themes of early United States involvement in
the Middle East. He was born in 1896 in Sidon in the Ottoman Empire
(modern-day Lebanon). His parents were Christian missionaries. He grew
up speaking Arabic. At the time of the U.S. invasion of Morocco
(Operation Torch) in 1942, Eddy was an intelligence officer based in
Tangier. At the time this photo was taken in 1945, he was the EnglishArabic interpreter between President Franklin D. Roosevelt (far right) and
King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud (second from right). Eddy later was instrumental
in developing the CIA. Following his military and diplomatic service, Eddy
worked for the oil company Aramco in Saudi Arabia, and opposed U.S.
support for Israel and urged stronger U.S. ties with the Arab world.

With Israel and oil providing the background, the course will examine a series of events
involving the United States in the Middle East after World War II: the American and British
overthrow of the government of Irans Prime Minister Muhammad Mosaddeq in 1953, the
Suez Crisis of 1956, the Eisenhower doctrine and the American invasion of Lebanon in
1958, the June 1967 and October 1973 wars involving Israel, the Nixon Doctrine, the ArabIsraeli Peace Process, the Israeli invasions of Lebanon, and the two American-led invasions
of Iraq (1991 and 2003). The goal is to examine these issues with intelligence, fairness, and
sophistication in order to understand what has happened as well as to be able to understand
why there are obstacles to reaching long-lasting solutions.
Texts and learning materials
Required texts:
Geoffrey Wawro, Quicksand: Americas Pursuit of Power in the Middle East
(2010)
T. Jeremy Gunn, ed., Course Pack for US and the Middle East (posted on
Jenzabar)
3

Chronology of the United States and the Middle East (posted on Jenzabar)
Other readings (handouts or posted on Jenzabar)
Grading for undergraduates (who do not take term paper option):
Attendance and compliance with class policies:
20%
Short papers and quizzes:
30%
Exams:
- Mid-term
20%
- Final
30%
Possible bonus for effective class participation:
10%
Grading for graduates (and undergraduates who choose term paper option):
Attendance and compliance with class policies:
10%
Short papers and quizzes:
20%
Exams:
- Mid-term
20%
- Final
30%
*Term paper (book analysis)
20%
Possible bonus for effective class participation:
10%
*For term paper (book analysis) grade:
Strictly complying with deadlines:
Complying with Turabian** footnote format:
Bibliography
First draft book analysis
Final book analysis
** Undergraduates may use either MLA or APA

10%
10%
10%
30%
40%

Strategies for Learning

The resources for the class include readings, Internet research, class lectures, and discussions.
Assignment sheets will be distributed during the semester that will identify the specific
assignments. Students are expected to have completed the assigned readings before class in
order to better participate in discussions and to understand the materials. Short quizzes may
be given at any time. Students are actively encouraged to participate in class discussions,
raise questions, offer different points of view, and challenge what is said.
Organization and filing. It is recommended that you keep in one place (such as in a folder,
binder, or notebook) your syllabus, assignment sheets, handouts, and class notes.
How to study for this course. Every person has a different way of learning or studying
strategies that are the most effective for her or him. If you already have an effective method
use it. If the proposals that are made below are not helpful, ignore them. Many people
including the person who is writing this sentence often engage in multi-tasking while
pretending to study. Rather than focusing on the immediate subject, they are
simultaneously checking email, listening to a favorite piece of music, laughing at that
ridiculous cat on YouTube, trying to find out what Amal Alamuddin will be wearing on her
wedding day or wondering what was Lady Gagas latest outrageous outfit, and, most
importantly, needing to know whether Bara won its match yesterday. While this scattered

approach to studying may be a new norm, its not an effective way of learning material for
an economics class, calculus, or history. For all practical purposes, and certainly for learning,
the brain cannot do two things at a time. If you are paying attention to one thing you cannot
be learning another.
So . . . Recommendation 1: focus on one and only one thing at a time and turn off everything
else (including your wandering mind). Take notes about what you are reading or watching. If
you are watching a documentary for class, dont simultaneously check your email. Unless
you are super-intelligent, or you need to drown out disrupting noises (such as a snoring
roommate), its probably best not to listen to music while working. (Hint: if you think you are
super-intelligent, you may be deceiving yourself!) Recommendation 2: read the material
before class and highlight the most important items. Recommendation 3: pay attention in
class and take notes. Recommendation 4: review class notes (and correct them) and the
readings as soon as you can after class is over. Recommendation 5: form a study group with
2-5 classmates and meet once a week to discuss what has been learned. Ask questions of each
other. Challenge and correct each other. Talk about the material. Recommendation 6: read,
think about, and follow recommendations 1-5.
Seating chart. After the first couple of days of class, you will be asked to sign the seating
chart and then to take the same chair for the remainder of the semester. So choose your seat
well. If there is no one in sitting in your seat, you will be marked absent.
Office hours. Students are encouraged to attend the instructors office hours at the posted
times, whether to seek clarification about the subject, ask additional questions, or challenge
what was said in class.
Class policies
The most important class policy is to enjoy learning, to expand your knowledge of the
modern middle east, and to have a good time while doing so. Asking questions
during class and engaging in discussions is strongly encouraged and may even help
you gain bonus points (see below).
Students are expected to be present, to be on time, and to have prepared their
assignments in advance of the class. The texts of the assigned readings should always
be brought to class. (Hint: imagine how it would help to have it with you for an openbook quiz!)
Please do not bring food and drink to our class. Okay, I will make an exception for
water. If you are so hungry or thirsty that you cannot survive, then please dont come
to class and go to the lunchroom instead. If you eat in class, you will be marked as
absent.
The course will follow Al Akhawayn University honors and attendance policies as
outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. The statements below are based on this
guidance. Any changes in AUI policies will lead to changes in class policies.
Dishonesty on exams or assignments will be dealt with strictly and will likely lead to
your failing the course. If you are honest with yourselves and fair to your classmates,
you will have no need to worry.

Students are entitled to two (2) unexcused absences per semester without any grade
reduction. All unexcused absences in excess of the two that are permitted will lead to
a reduction of the grade. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. Three late
marks will equal one unexcused absence. Five unexcused absences will result in a
WF. If you are more than 5 minutes late to class it will be counted as one
unexcused absence.
A good excuse is not the same thing as an excused absence in AUI policies as
outlined in the catalogue. Requests for excused absences must be made in advance
and are given for either: (a) official AUI activities that have been approved, and (b)
extended illnesses approved by the VPSA. An absence for medical reasons for a day
or two is not an excused absence, with or without a doctors signature. A visit to
your parents is a worthy activity, but it is not an excused absence. Going to a
consulate for a visa is praiseworthy, but it is not an excused absence. Any request
for an excused absence that is not covered by AUI policies will be counted as one
late mark.
Cell phones should be turned off. If your phone rings during class or if you text or
read emails you will receive an unexcused absence. You are welcome to use laptops
in class to take notes and do course-related work, but not for email exchanges,
Facebook, or other distractions.
Unless you have a medical emergency or have received advance permission, leaving
the class before its end will constitute an unexcused absence. (Hint: use the restroom
before and not during class. Im really sorry that I need to say this, but experience has
shown that some people cannot figure this out without being told.) If you leave the
class during an exam, you will not be allowed to return.
If you want to have a conversation with a classmate, thats wonderful. Just make sure
that it is before or after class or that you are speaking to the entire class. If your
talking to others is disruptive, you will receive an unexcused absence.
Spot quizzes, whether open book or closed book, may occur at any time.
Students are responsible for learning all the information that is conveyed in class
whether or not they are in attendance. It is important to take good notes during
lectures and class discussions. If the student is absent, it is her or his responsibility to
obtain the information from other students.
Important Dates
September 16
October 14
November 4
November 6
November 18
December 2
December 13-18

Graduate students: bibliography due

Mid-term
Graduate students: first draft term paper due
Green March (no class)
Morocco Independence Day (no class)
Graduate students: final paper due (return first draft and rubric)
Final exam week
The final exam date will be determined by AUI. Do not book
non-refundable tickets for departures before December 18