Author: Kimberley Browne

This week I was watching a student locate cities on a google map and realized (hopefully) that this exercise is both creating and reinforcing awareness of locations in the Middle East in ways I hadn’t necessarily considered.  He was using Baghdad as a reference and then searching for cities known to be either north of or west of Baghdad.  In the process, he is becoming familiar not only with the particular location of Baghdad, but also the relative location of other cities to Baghdad.  Have you found Google Maps to be a useful tool for helping to learn place name geography, location, distribution etc.?  Please elaborate.

Please take some time and watch Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech found at this link: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/event.php?id=182875  In his speech he makes several statements which express his viewpoint of Israel’s claim to the land – listen for specific examples and think about why he uses certain language and why he chooses particular examples.  If you have time I also highly recommend watching the 2 Senators (Graham & Schumer) – and think about where the US military may be heading next.

Today’s discussion reminded me of my favorite academic of all time Dr. Barnett Rubin.  Rubin is a world-renowned expert on Afghanistan and has written numerous books and articles on the subject.  The following excerpts are from Chapter One of “Blood on the Doorstep: The Politics of Preventive Action”:

“In those regions where peace prevails, its pillars are strong states engaged in accountable governance that regulates transnational actors as well as purely domestic ones.  The absence of an accountable state in Afghanistan enabled al-Qaida to root itself there.” (Rubin 2002:6)

“In my experience, what is most difficult to convey about foreign conflicts is not the foreign cultures, beliefs, or hatreds that make others different from us; rather it is the radically different circumstances that make people just like us behave differently.  It is those situations – desperate impoverishment, fear for one’s life, collapse of institutions that once made sense of existence and gave a sense of security, the threat that not using violence will leave one prey to the violence of others – that propel people into bloody conflict.  And these situations are not as far from us as we sometimes think.  Often enough, when tracing back the links that lead to violence, one finds global institutions – arms dealers, banks, markets, corporations, intelligence agencies, governments, international organizations – whose immense power and resources form the context for the decisions of local actors.”  (Rubin 2002:8, emphasis added)

By now, I suspect you have some ideas about why I chose the Burke & Yaghoubian text in the first place: because CONTEXT matters.

Many of you attended the Arabian Nights festival held on campus this week and enjoyed good food, good music and Arabic Poetry.  I’m so pleased with the enthusiasm I’m seeing in all of you.  Our attendance at lectures, films and other activities can only enhance the opportunities to learn in this course.  Please feel free to comment on your experience with ‘immersion’ in readings, films, maps, current events and any of the other paths to learning that have been employed in this course.  What has been MOST useful to you?  Most fun?  Most interesting?  Enhanced your learning?

Several of the readings and films we’ve read and seen present women in ways that shatter the stereotype of the powerless, Middle Eastern female.  What examples have been most important  and instructive for you? 

Several students attended Tuesday’s lecture at the Jefferson, but came away with different impresssions.  Please take some time to summarize and reflect on what you learned at this lecture (being sure to respect the opinions of others in the process).  Thanks again to Chandana and the Office of International Education for this great opportunity.