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Middle East International Relations 

Code: 104477
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
International Relations OP 4

Contact lecturer

Name :
Laura Feliu Martínez
Email :
laura.feliu@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

No specific prerequisites

Objectives

The basic objectives of the course are:

  • To situate the study of the region's international relations within the general framework of the social sciences, integrating analyses that consider both historical and systemic perspectives focused on structures and processes;

  • To apply the fundamental concepts of the academic discipline of International Relations to the context of the MENA region;

  • To acquire the appropriate analytical skills to be applied to the international relations of the Middle East and North Africa;

  • To become familiar with the global processes that have shaped contemporary international society and how these affect the MENA region;

  • To identify the main actors, resources, and processes that have shaped the political, economic, social, and ideological reality of the region;

  • To express and defend orally and in writing their views on the most relevant international issues affecting this region.

These objectives will be addressed through academic readings, group discussions, case analyses, and research projects, with the aim of providing students with a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the region’s international relations

Learning outcomes

  1. Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  2. Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  3. Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  4. Identify data sources and carry out rigorous bibliographical and documentary searches.
  5. Use metatheoretical data to argue and establish plausible relation of causality and establish ways of validating or rejecting them.
  6. Apply quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques in research processes.
  7. Describe the international order: anarchy versus order, national society and transnational society.
  8. Critically evaluate the impacts of globalisation in different areas: security, environment, human rights, migrations and peace.
  9. Demonstrate knowledge of theoretical trends and classical and recent analytical approaches to international relations.
  10. Make adequate use of the theory and concepts of international relations (Hobbesian, Grotian and Kantian thought).
  11. Be familiar with the basic bibliography on historical evolution of regional and governmental systems in the countries of reference for the subject.
  12. Describe the main elements that characterise international global society (1945-2000).
  13. Make a brief comparison of national and/or regional cases within the same international and/or regional framework.
  14. Make comparisons between the evolution of governmental systems within a supranational regional area.
  15. Describe the characteristics of each of the regional subsystems studied, signs of historical and comparative change and continuity and the role played by the different national and non-national actors in each subsystem.
  16. Make comparisons between the levels of regional autonomy within a state.
  17. Apply analytical tools of behaviour of actors in each of the regional subsystems (Middle East Latin America, Eastern Asia) and the operational subsystems (European Union, economic governance) studied in the subjects.
  18. Analyse the policies and responses to the impacts of globalisation, identifying differences and similarities in each of the states of the regional subsystems studied.
  19. Identify the factors of change and continuity and the main trends in Spanish foreign and security policies, and their relationship with the international, European and Atlantic organisations with which they interact.
  20. Analyse processes of decision-making, drawing up and implementing Spanish foreign and security policies.
  21. Make a critical comparison of the evolution of the large regional areas that are covered in the subject.
  22. Analyse the historical and comparative roles of the different actors in the large regional areas.
  23. Analyse the operation of international regional and functional subsystems, their structure and dynamics and the probable evolutionary trends.
  24. Identify the main international institutions and organisations in each regional subsystem (Middle East, Eastern Asia, Latin America) and analyse for them the roles and actions, in line with the subject.
  25. Analyse the functioning of decision-making in real and simulated case studies in the different areas of economic governance in the European Union.
  26. Propose new experience-based methods or alternative solutions.
  27. Weigh up the risks and opportunities of one's own ideas for improvement and proposals made by others.
  28. Propose new ways to measure success or failure when implementing ground-breaking proposals or ideas.
  29. Identify the social, economic and environmental implications of academic and professional activities within the area of your own knowledge.
  30. Analyse the indicators of sustainability of academic and professional activities in the areas of knowledge, integrating social, economic and environmental dimensions.
  31. Propose viable projects and actions that promote social, economic and environmental benefits.
  32. Propose ways to evaluate projects and actions for improving sustainability.

Contents

BLOCK 1: PRESENTATION OF THE REGION

Topic 1. The region as a regional subsystem

International Relations vs Area Studies: approaches and tensions

Political geographies and contested terminologies

Concept of region and shared features (and transformation)

Regional subsystem / regional security complex

Course paradigms map


Topic 2. The State in the region

State-building, sovereignty reappropriation and social mobilisation

Rentier political economy: resource curse

Neopatrimonial authoritarianism: clientelism and repression

External dependency: from aid to military-political support

Global and regional elites and power accumulation


Topic 3. The region in the global order

From colonial frontier to geo-energy hub

Great powers and global structural change

Regional powers and frustrated hegemonic aspirations

Geography of violence: interstate, civil and proxy wars

Religion in the global economy

Revolutions and mobilisations: Iran to Arab Spring


Topic 4. Foreign policy of regional powers

Iran: forward defence and Axis of Resistance

Turkey: from Kemalism to neo-Ottomanism

Saudi Arabia & UAE: assertiveness and counter-revolution

Qatar: niche diplomacy (Al Jazeera)


BLOCK 2: REGION IN THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM

Topic 5. Orientalism and postcolonial epistemologies

Edward Said and critique of Western-centric IR

Orientalist canon: academia and intelligence discourse

Knowledge and domination

From Orientalism to institutional Islamophobia


Topic 6. Colonisation and decolonisation

Colonial processes and role of colonies

Colonial empires: Sykes-Picot and Balfour

Metropolitan vs local elites

Independence movements (Algeria)

Colonial legacy and unfinished decolonisation (Western Sahara)


Topic 7. Cold War in SWANA (1947–1989)

Strategic importance of the region

Bipolarity and alliances

Arab socialist revolutions and containment

Political Islam: from anti-communist tool to global enemy

Phases of the Cold War


Topic 8. The 21st century in SWANA

Post-1991 unipolar order

Multipolar and polycentric regional structure

Resistance axes to unilateralism

Return of Russia and rise of China

Post-Cold War phases


BLOCK 3: ACTORS, IDENTITIES AND MOBILISATIONS

Topic 9. Identity, power and sectarianism

Islam, Judaism and Eastern Christianities

Minorities and political instrumentalisation

Confessional systems and consociationalism

Sectarianism as political construction

Kurdish transnational question


Topic 10. Political Islam

Nahda and Muslim Brotherhood

Currents: Salafism, Islamism, Takfirism

1967 defeat and 1979 Iranian Revolution

Post-Islamism and political participation

From Al-Qaeda to Daesh


Topic 11. Gender and politics

Women as objects and subjects of IR

Colonial legacy and saviour narratives

Transforming patriarchy

Arab Spring and feminist movements

Women in armed conflict


Topic 12. Transnational ideologies

Constructivism: identities and norms

Sovereignty and transnational challenges

From pan-Arabism to new Arabism

Religion and transnational identities

Political instrumentalisation of ideologies


BLOCK 4: CONFLICT AND COOPERATION

Topic 13. Armed conflict

Realism and regional conflict

Mapping violence

Non-state armed actors

Military industry and nuclear factor

Humanitarian intervention and R2P

Migration and climate change


Topic 14. Israel and Palestine

Zionism and settler colonialism

From Oslo to Abraham Accords

Internal divisions and conflict continuity

Israel’s geostrategic role

Permanent conflict since 2023


Topic 15. Cooperation and regionalism

Liberal theory of cooperation

Regionalism and regionalisation

Arab League and Gulf Cooperation Council

Flexible regional architectures

European neighbourhood policy


Topic 16. International political economy

Washington Consensus and IMF

Energy factor

Gulf sovereign wealth funds

Megaprojects and neoliberal spectacle

Infrastructure and special economic zones

China and global competition

Informal economy and resistance

Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written work 24 0.96 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 13, 18, 21, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
Participation in discussions, debates, and activities 20 0.8 1, 2, 5, 8, 13, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 31, 32
Courses 50 2 1, 2, 5, 6, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29
Readings 35 1.4 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 19, 23, 24, 25

In order to achieve the planned objectives, this course focuses on theoretical and practical classes. The readings and activities suggested by the teaching staff propose an orderly and coordinated development of the subject's contents with the aim of facilitating the assimilation and understanding of the contents.  

  • Readings
  • Lectures
  • Written assignment
  • Participation in discussions / debates / activities
Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Exam 50 4 0.16 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 23, 24, 25
Participation in classroom exercises 20 9 0.36 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13, 17, 18, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32
Practical exercise 30 8 0.32 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23

Continuous Assessment

The continuous assessment will consist of:


A) Written examinations (50% of the final grade)

Two written exams, each accounting for 25% of the final grade:

  • One test without access to classroom materials or notes
  • One essay-based exam allowing the use of classroom documents and notes

If a minimum grade of 4 out of 10 in each exam is not achieved, a retake will be allowed at a later date.


B) Practical work (30% of the final grade)

Delivered in two parts:

  • 10% + 20% of the final grade, respectively


C) In-class exercises (participation) (20% of the final grade)

Supplementary exercises related to the course content, carried out in groups during class and submitted via the Virtual Campus.

Students who complete at least 70% of the exercises will automatically receive the corresponding points.

Students who do not reach this threshold will be required to answer an additional question on the exercise content in the second partial exam.


Single Assessment

Students who formally request it within the established deadline may opt for a single written examination consisting of:


a) Test (60%), without classroom materials or notes

b) Essay (20%), with classroom documents and notes

c) Question on practical work (20%): each student must select one country from the region


The exam will take place at the end of the semester.

If a minimum grade of 5 out of 10 is not achieved, a retake will be allowed at a later date.


Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Any academic irregularity in an assessment activity (including academic fraud, plagiarism, or inappropriate use of AI) that leads to a significant alteration of the grade will result in a score of 0 for that activity.

In addition, disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against the student involved in such irregularities.

The instructor reserves the right to conduct oral interviews or alternative assessments in order to verify the actual acquisition of knowledge and competences, as well as the validity of the submitted assessment work.

Bibliography

Many of the titles in this bibliography are also available online through the catalogue of the UAB libraries.

Abu-Lughod, L. (2020). Orientalism and Middle East feminist studies. In Feminist Theory Reader (pp. 148-154). Routledge.

Achcar, G. (2013) The people want: a radical exploration of the Arab uprising. Berkeley: Univ of California Press.

Akbarzadeh, S. (ed.). (2021). Routledge handbook of international relations in the Middle East. Routledge. UAB en línia pdf Capitols per teories RI, cap 6 Islam, political Islam, and the state system Frédéric Volpi, cap 9 The Arab uprising and regional power struggle 110 Raymond Hinnebusch; cap 11 Saudi Arabia and Iran: Islam and foreign policy in the Middle East 138 Simon Mabon; cap 12 The Arab Spring and Russian foreign policy toward the Middle East 153 Mark N. Katz; cap 15 Qatar: an ambitious small state 195 Matthew Gray, cap 24 The Muslim Brotherhood and An-Nahda after the Arab Spring: a failed project 330 Alison Pargete

Ali, A. M. State Failure, Power Expansion, and Balance of Power in the Middle East. UAB en línia

Álvarez-Ossorio, I. (2015). La primavera árabe revisitada: reconfiguración del autoritarismo y recomposición del islamismo. Thomson Reuters Aranzadi.

Álvarez-Ossorio, I. (2017). Siria: revolución, sectarismo y yihad. Los Libros de La Catarata. https://elibro.net/es/ereader/uab/234560

Álvarez-Ossorio, I., & Abu-Tarbush, J. (2024). Gaza: Crónica de una Nakba anunciada. Los Libros de la Catarata.

Álvarez-Ossorio, I., & Rodríguez García, L. (2021). The foreign policy of Qatar: From a mediating role to an active one. Revista española de ciencia política, (56), 97-120.

AZAOLA, B; DESRUES, T:; LARRAMENDI, M. H. de; PLANET, A.I; y RAMÏREZ, A. (eds.), Cambio, crisis y movilizaciones en el Mediterráneo Occidental. Granada: Comares, 2022

Barreñada, I., & García, R. O. (Eds.). (2016). Sahara Occidental: 40 años después. Madrid. Tinc Cap. CAPÍTULO 14. LA UNIÓN EUROPEA Y EL CONFLICTO DEL SAHARA OCCIDENTAL 189 Irene Fernández Molina;

Bitton, S. (2002) Ben Barka: l’equació marroquina [Vídeo]; coproducción, Article Z, Arte France, RTBF (TV3 60 Minuts). (Documental).

Bouris, D., Huber, D., & Pace, M. (Eds.). (2022). Routledge handbook of EU-Middle East relations. New York: Routledge. UAB en línia pdf

Correale, F., Feliu, L. & López Bargados, A. (2022). Rebelarse en el desierto. Movilizaciones populares en el Oeste sahariano, Ediciones Bellaterra, Barcelona.

Eslami, M., & Vieira, A. V. G. (Eds.). (2023). The arms race in the middle east: contemporary security dynamics. Springer Nature. UAB en línia i pdf, capítols: The Cold War in the Middle East: Iranian Foreign Policy, Regional Axes, and Warfare by Proxy; Israel and the Regional Arms Race in the Digital Era;

Fawcett, Louise L'Estrange, ed. International relations of the Middle East. Oxford University Press, 2016.

Feliu, L. e Izquierdo-Brichs, F. (2016) “Estructura de poder y desafíos populares. La respuesta del régimen marroquí al movimiento 20 de febrero,” Revista de Estudios Políticos (174), pp. 195–223. doi: 10.18042/cepc/rep.174.07.

Feliu, L., Mateo Dieste, J. L. e Izquierdo Brichs, F. (2018) Un siglo de movilización social en Marruecos. Barcelona: Bellaterra.

Fernández-Molina, I. (2023). The International Recognition of Governments in Practice(s): Creatures, Mirages, and Dilemmas inPost-2011 Libya. International Studies Review, 25(4).

Galtung, J. (1971), “A Structural Theory of Imperialism,” Journal of Peace Research, 2.

Gause III, F. G. (2010). The International Relations of the Persian Gulf. Cambridge University Press.

Gervais, V., & Van Genugten, S. (Eds.). (2019). Stabilising the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa: Regional Actors and New Approaches. Springer Nature. UAB en línia

H. A. R. Gibb, ‘Middle East perplexities’, International Affairs 20: 4, 1944, pp. 458–72.

Guazzone, L., & Pioppi, D. (2022). The Arab state and neo-liberal globalization: The restructuring of state power in the Middle East. Garnet Publishing Ltd.

Gause III, F. G. (1999). Systemic approaches to Middle East international relations. International Studies Review, 1(1), 11-31.

Halliday, F. (2005). The Middle East in international relations: power, politics and ideology (Vol. 4). Cambridge University Press. UAB en línia (capítol guerra freda), cap 3 The modern Middle East: state formation and world war ; cap 4 The Cold War: global conflict, regional upheavals; cap 7 Modern ideologies: political and religious;

Hamed, M. (2009), El Edificio Yacobian [Enregistrament de vídeo] / [guió] Alaa’ Al-Aswany, Wahid Hamid ; [direcció]. Madrid : Karma Films,. Available at: https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1828595__Sel edificio yacobian__Orightresult__U__X7?lang=cat (Accessed: July 5, 2021).

Hernando de Larramendi, M., & Fernández Molina, I. (2015). The evolving foreign policies of North African states (2011–2014): New trends in constraints, political processes and behavior. In North African Politics (pp. 261-292). Routledge.

Hinnebusch, R. (2003). The International Politics of the Middle East. Manchester University Press.

Hinnebusch, R. (2016). The politics of identity in Middle East international relations. International relations of the Middle East,

Hourani, A. (2013). A history of the Arab peoples: Updated edition. Faber & Faber.

Hudson, M. (2014). Arab Politics: The Search for Legitimacy. Yale University Press.

Ismael, J. S., Ismael, T. Y., & MacDonald, L. T. (2024). Pax Americana: Unending War on Iraq. Springer Nature. En Línia UAB cap 1 Pax Americana and the Dissolution of Arab States; cap. 2 Iraq burning

Ismael, T. Y., & Perry, G. E. (Eds.). (2013). The international relations of the contemporary Middle East: subordination and beyond. Routledge. UAB 1986

Izquierdo Brichs, F. (2009). Israel i Palestina: un segle de conflicte. Vic: Eumo.

Izquierdo-Brichs, F. (Ed.). (2009). Poder y regímenes en el mundo árabe contemporáneo. Fundació CIDOB / (2013). Political regimes in the Arab world: society and the exercise of power (Vol. 45). Routledge.

Izquierdo-Brichs, F. y Etherington, J. (2013) “De la revolución a la moderación: el largo camino del islam político”, en El islam político en el Mediterráneo. Radiografía de una evolución. Izquierdo-Brichs, F. and Etherington, J. (2017a) “From revolution to moderation? The long road of political Islam,” en Izquierdo-Brichs, F., Etherington, J., and Feliu, L. (eds) Political Islam in a time of revolt. Londres: Palgrave.

Izquierdo-Brichs, F. y Lampridi-Kemou, A. (2009) “La sociología del poder en el mundo árabe contemporáneo,” en Poder y regímenes en el mundo árabe contemporáneo. http://www.cidob.org.

Izquierdo Brichs, F. (ed.) Political Regimes in the Arab World. Londres & Nueva York: Routledge.

Jägerskog, A., Schulz, M., & Swain, A. (Eds.). (2019). Routledge handbook on Middle East security. Routledge.

Laqueur, W. Z. (2021). The Soviet Union and the Middle East. Routledge.

Luciani, G. (2005). Oil and political economy in the international relations of the Middle East. International relations of the Middle East, 79-104.

Lynch, M. (2016). The New Arab Wars. Public Affairs.

Mahfuz, N. 1911-2006 (1996) Entre dos palaus / Naguib Mahfuz ; traducció directa de l’àrab de Dolors Cinca. Barcelona : Edicions 62. https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1404756__Sentre dos palaus__P0,1__Orightresult__U__X7?lang=cat .

Mandaville, P. (2001). Transnational Muslim Politics. Reimagining the umma. Routledge.

Martínez, L. (2020). The Maghreb in the New Security Era. Brookings Institution Press.

Naïr, S. (2016). ¿ Por qué se rebelan?: revoluciones y contrarrevoluciones en el mundo árabe. Editorial Clave Intelectual.

Ojeda-Garcia, R., Fernández-Molina, I., & Veguilla, V. (Eds.). (2017). Global, Regional and Local Dimensions of Western Sahara's Protracted Decolonization: When a Conflict Gets Old. New York: Palgrave Macmillan US.

Ortega Gálvez, M. L. (1997) “Una experiencia modernizadora en la periferia: las reformas del Egipto de Muhammad Ali (1805-1848),” Scripta Nova: revista electrónica de geografía y ciencias sociales, 8: http://www.ub.es/geocrit/sn-8.htm.

Pontecorvo, G. (1965) La Batalla de Argel [Enregistrament de vídeo] Sceneggiatura di Franco Solinas ; produzione: Casbah Films, Igor Film ; prodotto da Antionio Musu e Yacef Saadi. L’Hospitaletde Llobregat : Italia: Filmax. https://cataleg.uab.cat/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1624972__Spontecorvo__P0,6__Orightresult__X4?lang=cat.

Ramos Tolosa, J. (2022). Palestina desde las epistemologías del sur. CLACSO. UAB en línia

Ramos Tolosa, J. (2023). Una historia contemporánea de Palestina-Israel. Madrid: Los libros de la Catarata.

Rigouste, M. (2020) “Sesenta años de la sublevación argelina:¿ Un Hirak antes de hora?,” Le Monde diplomatique en español, (302), pp. 12–13.

Eugene V. Rostow, ‘The Middle Eastern crisis in the perspective of world politics’, International Affairs 47: 2, 1971, pp. 275–88.

Salloukh, B. F. (2013). The Arab uprisings and the geopolitics of the Middle East. The international spectator, 48(2), 32-46.

Strzelecka, E. (2012) “Mujeres en la revolución yemení de 2011,” Revista de Estudios Internacionales Mediterráneos (REIM), (13), p. 111.

Szmolka Vida, M. I. (2011). Democracias y autoritarismos con adjetivos: la clasificación de los países árabes dentro de una tipología general de regímenes políticos. Revista Española de Ciencia Política, 26: 11-62 (2011).

Tolan, J., Laurens, H., & Veinstein, G. (2012). Europe and the Islamic world: A history. Princeton University Press.

Arnold J. Toynbee, ‘A problem of Arabian statesmanship’, International Affairs 8: 4, 1929, p. 367.

Yezid Sayigh, ‘The Gulf crisis: why the Arab regional order failed’, International Affairs 67: 3, 1991, pp. 487–507

Software

No special software

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Spanish second semester morning-mixed