Week 10
Islamism
Promotion of Islamic religious and social precepts via political and organizational means
Berger (2018)
Three facets of the Israeli "national-state" law:
1. National self-determination "unique to the Jewish people"
2. "Hebrew is the language of the state"
3. "Jewish settlement as a national value"
Maximum Pressure
Campaign of economic sanctions to confront Iran
Gulf Crisis
Diplomatic boycott and economic blockade of Qatar
Kurds
A stateless ethnic group largely present in:
- Turkey
- Syria
- Iraq
- Iran
Salafi-jihadism
Combination of Salafism and jihadism into hyper-militancy and acts of terrorism
Operation Odyssey Dawn
Bombing of pro-Gaddafi forces and sites [in Libya]
Operation Inherent Resolve
U.S. and partner airstrikes against ISIS positions
Operation Al-Aqsa Flood
Hamas land, air, and sea attack on Israel
Kafala
System of migrant labor sponsorship prevalent in GCC states and parts of Levant
Democracy
Rule by the people
- Party contestation
- Electoral turnover
- Through "free and fair" elections
Arab Spring [definition]
A series of pro-democracy / anti-regime protests that began in Tunisia in December 2010 and expanded to most Arab states in the Middle East
Foreign Fighters reasons for joining ISIS
- Status
- Revenge
- Martyrdom
- Hostages
- Hospitals
- Hudnas
BRICS [expanded members]
MENA states joined in January 2024
- UAE
- Iran
- Egypt
Authoritarianism
Consolidation of authority
- Familial legacy
- Personal autocracy / party rule
- Other than "free and fair" elections
Arab Spring distinct outcomes
1. Regime change and protest in republics
2. Reform and continuity in monarchies
3. Regional interventions
Daoudy (2024)
1. National Reconciliation
2. Democratic Governance
3. Restoration of Sovereignty
4. Accountability
Abraham Accords [definition]
United States-brokered bilateral normalizations with Israel by
- UAE
- Bahrain
- Sudan
- Morocco
I2U2 [members and coordination aims]
- India, Israel, UAE, U.S.
- Water, Energy, Transportation, Space, Health, Food security
Five Pillars of Islam
1. Declaration of faith (Shahadah)
2. Five daily prayers (Salah)
3. Tithing / alms giving (Zakat)
4. Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm)
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
Arab Spring Explanations
- Different forms of leader legitimacy
- Different kinds of public mobilization
- Different levels of foreign support
- Different amounts of economic revenue
Hassan (2023)
- The first and most important of these factors is that local conditions in both Syria and Iraq have militated against ISIS’s return.
- The second factor is the recent ebb of the Islamic tide, not only in Syria and Iraq but across the entire region.
- The third factor preventing ISIS’s return is the nature of the population in the areas where the group is currently present.
- The fourth factor is ISIS’s inability to attract new recruits to supplement its ranks.
- The fifth and final factor that has thwarted the revival of ISIS as a political project is the decline in the proliferation of weapons and the loss of financial resources that previously filled its coffers.
Abraham Accords [Quid Pro Quos]
- UAE: U.S. arms sales and Investment and Tourism
- Bahrain: Some Israeli security coordination
- Sudan: Removal from the U.S. State Sponsors of Terrorism list
- Morocco: U.S. recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara
Polarity [Three forms and examples]
• Bipolarity – Exactly two competing great powers
- example: The Cold War between the U.S. and USSR
• Unipolarity – Exactly one hegemonic great power
- ex.: The U.S. after the Cold War until the 2010s…?
• Multipolarity – Three or more competing great powers
- ex.: The Middle East since the 2010s…?