Uncertain: one of the most prescribed words for a region of the world that lacks explicit physical borders and is the birthplace of all three monotheistic religions...

The nature of this uncertainty is found in multiple dimensions: in the tenuous Israeli/Palestinian relationship, most recently influenced by the movement of Hamas into the political arena; in the honor killings of countless women across the region; in the development of economies based largely on energy exports; in the future of Iran’s nuclear proliferation; in the future of the US’s continued military involvement in Iraq; and in countless other ways. This uncertainty makes the Middle East a fascinating study for students of international relations, while also presenting a challenge to policymakers, whose job it is to develop relations with Middle Eastern nations.

The IAJ is fortunate to have the opportunity to present the perspectives of four university students who have explored specific and critical issues in the Middle East.  Included in this Regional Spotlight is an examination of the relationship between tourism and terrorism in Egypt, the role of public opinion in Israeli party politics, the effects of the 2005 Cedar Revolution which saw the removal of Syrian forces from Lebanon, and lastly an examination of the challenges to democratic development in Jordan. 

Parallels

Each of the four articles found in this issue’s Regional Spotlight display core challenges in contemporary international relations.  While each article focuses on a specific issue, their conclusions have broader implications for the region as a whole. The history of democratic processes in Jordan, and the relationship between public opinion and Israeli Likud Party policies, both provide insight into the significance of the past on the present state of political affairs. One of the core foundations of President Bush’s foreign policy is that democracy will bring stability to the Middle East as a whole; these two papers provide thorough insight into the viability of democracy in a region where it has little historical precedence.

In the spring of 2005, the Lebanese rallied for the expulsion of Syrian troops who had occupied Lebanon since 1967.  This “intifada of independence” --the term used by the Lebanese media to describe the Cedar Revolution–-draws parallels to the Palestinian response to a perceived Israeli occupation.  However, the rhetoric pertaining to each case remains unbalanced: one is termed a “revolution” and the other is defined by suicide bombings.  This similar thread of violence characterizes the tourism industry in Egypt as increasingly fragile in nature, and provides an example of how Western and Middle Eastern cultures can collide in a very real and violent way.

Borders

There is often dispute over which countries fit within the confines of the “Middle East”.  A more traditional definition ranges from Turkey at the farthest north and continuing with Iran in the East, Yemen in the south and Egypt in the west.  Included in this definition of the Middle East are Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Eremites, Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The G8 defines the Middle East as this core set of countries but adding selections of Northern Africa as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Emerging academic rhetoric aims at a combination of the two, coalescing into the term MENA, an acronym for the Middle East and Northern Africa. 

Ethnic and Religious Groups

The Middle East is a diverse region with an array of languages, religions, and ethnic groups, which are often not defined by state borders.  Middle Eastern ethnic groups include Kurds, Turks, Jews, Berbers, Iranians, Arabs, Druze and Syriacs.  As these groups span many borders they bring with them a diverse array of languages, including Persian, Arabic, Kurdish and Aramaic-Hebrew.  Prior to the conclusion of the Second World War, the region known today as the Middle East was categorized into such terms as Near, Middle and Far East.  This proceeded with the Mediterranean acting as the near border and the area surrounding the converging Tigris and Euphrates rivers to Burma as the Far East.  The emergence of the term Middle East was Western European-derived and raises questions of ethnocentrism, since this portion of the world is only “east” from a European perspective.  Conversely, common dialogue in India refers to this section of the world as “West Asia”.  The contentious nature of the terms reflects further uncertainty regarding the world’s nominal classification of the region. 

The birthplace of Islam, Judaism and Christianity - the Middle East is rich with religious history.  While providing the birthplace of these three major contemporary religions and housing sacred sites for each of them, the Middle East has repeatedly become a battleground for religious ideologues. 

Islam

 The Middle East is often stereotyped as the center of Islam.  While it does host several significant religious sites such as Mecca, and boasts a large Muslim population, Islam is a major world religion beyond the traditional borders of the Middle East. In fact, it is Indonesia that contains the world’s largest regional population of Muslims, not the Middle East.  Nonetheless, with the exception of the Crusades, the Middle East has been dominated by Muslims for the past fourteen centuries.  The recently published Danish drawings depicting the prophet Mohammed in satirically compromising situations has caused much of Islam to feel its culture is not respected by the West, and many Muslims have responded with violent protests, setting fire to Danish and Norwegian embassies in Beirut and Damascus. The unexpectedly passionate reaction by Muslims around the world, and particularly in the Middle East, demonstrates a lack of understanding between the Western and Islamic cultures.

Christianity

The Christian presence in the Middle East has been in decline, largely due to emigration and low birth rates. Lebanon has the largest Christian concentration, at about 38% of the population.  In the past year, the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the removal of the Syrian presence that followed has made the country even more unbalanced for Christians.  Eastern Christians, or Syriac Christians, speak mainly Aramaic languages and were converted to Christianity in the initial centuries AD.

Judaism

The majority of the Middle Eastern Jewish population resides in Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, since neighboring states became unwelcoming for Jews following the creation of Israel.  Judaism is unique because it is not only a religion, but also a nationality.  As a religion, observance of Jewish principles and beliefs varies, from strict adherence by orthodox Jews to a looser interpretation of rules by reform Jews. Nationalistically speaking, both secular and religious

Jews consider themselves part of one people.  Nearly two millennia ago, the Jews were driven out of Israel, which was the beginning of the Diaspora.  Since then, they have remained bound together through traditions based in religion and history.  In response to widespread anti-Semitism that culminated with Nazism, the late 1800s and early 1900s saw the birth and implementation of Zionism, the belief in the right to a Jewish homeland.

As the West rallies for the spread of democracy in the Middle East, a portion of the region’s governments continue to resist it, even if the population supports the concept of democracy.  Lisa Randall points out in her article Prospects for Democracy in Jordan that in actuality, a substantial portion of the Middle Eastern Muslim population is in favor of the democratic process.  Lisa points out that even if the population supports democracy, there are several obstacles that governments need to overcome and it cannot be attained overnight.  For 2005, Freedom House rankings, which reflect the level of political rights and civil liberties in countries across the globe, display some variance within the region of the Middle East.  In the category of political rights, Israel is listed as ‘free’ with Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia given the highest position corresponding to ‘not free’. 

Migration

The Middle East has one of the world’s greatest shares of migrant populations.  About 30 percent of Saudi Arabia’s resident population is foreign.  An even higher percentage corresponds to the make-up of the Saudi work force, which has led the government to instigate efforts to “Saudize” the disparaging proportions by prohibiting immigrants from seeking work in certain sectors. Ultimately, the Saudi government often makes exceptions when private companies complain of low functional abilities with only Saudi employees.  In 2004, the government announced that Arabic speaking Muslims could obtain citizenship after ten years of residency in Saudi Arabia.  Conversely, the United Arab Emirates, one of the wealthiest countries in the region, relies on migrants filling almost the entirety of private-sector jobs.

Energy

The Middle East is rich in natural energy supplies, and is responsible for satisfying an ever-increasing global demand for energy.  Yet despite its vast resources, many Middle Eastern countries have problems satisfying their own energy needs. The Gulf Power grid set to take effect in 2008 will seek to streamline power resources in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.  Ideally, the plan will allow connected countries to borrow power from one another in the case of an emergency, eliminating the threat of blackouts.  The expansive need for construction will call for great business potential as both regional and international companies will take part in the development.  The use of wind, water and natural gas power are also being considered as solutions to the booming energy demand.

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