P Sc 5550, Africa and the Middle East

Dr. Edward J. Perkins The University of Oklahoma Office Hours: Th., 9-10 a.m. Office: WHIT 402 Class hours: Th., 3:30-6:10 p.m. Class: WHIT 403 P.Sc. 5550: Problems in U.S. Diplomacy: Africa and the Middle East Spring 1998

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION :The purpose of this course is to review and provide analyses of American foreign policy problems in the Middle East and in Africa. These regions are of great geo-strategic importance to the United States in terms of its diplomacy and security (economic as well as physical). The course will include a brief historical overview of both areas. Africa will include both North Africa (the "Maghreb") and Sub-Saharan Africa. Political, social and economic problems will be included, with particular emphasis on their relevance to problems in American foreign-policy making. Trade liberalization, economic development, human rights, the concept of democracy-these will all be considered as elements of institution-building and conflict resolution. Other themes to be explored will include: the role of the new South Africa as pivotal player on the African continent, and the heavy influence of culture, religion, ethnicity, local politics, political-economy and statehood in regional affairs.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS/GRADING: Regular attendance and participation in class discussions is required, along with thorough preparation in the readings before the date on which they assigned. The components of the course will weighted as follows: Attendance, participation in class discussion, and article presentations, 5%; two research papers of 15-20 pp. in length, 50% (25% each); presentation of the papers, 10% (5% each) and a final exam, 35%. Note that the exam will be in the short and long-essay format.

Papers should be written on topics that have been mutually-agreed upon between the instructor and student. They should be narrowly focused, critical analyses on a sub-topic covered by the course. They should be written in the proper format (typed, double-spaced, at least 1-inch margins all around, no blank spaces in the text), and properly documented with scholarly references and citations. All citations and elements of style should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style, 14^th edition, or later.

POLICY ON MAKEUP WORK AND ABSENCES: Makeup work will be allowed only at the discretion of the professor. Missed examinations will be made up only in the event of a bona fide family emergency or illness, accompanied by a doctor's note.

The instructor's lectures and in-class discussion will constitute major elements of the course's substance and grading. Regular class attendance will be necessary to successfully complete the course. Absence from two classes (the equivalent of six absences in a course taught for one hour three times a week) without a written explanation from a doctor will be penalized by lowering your final grade by one letter.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact the professor personally as early in the semester as possible in order to discuss reasonable accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitation of the student's educational opportunities.

Reading List

In addition to the following required texts, you will be responsible for gathering the readings from several other texts listed below. For your convenience, please note that most of them will be on "IPC Reserve," meaning that they will be available for copying or reading at the IPC only (no checkout of the original texts).

Required

Clapham, Christopher. Africa and the International System: Problems of State Survival. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Faour, Muhammad. The Arab World After Desert Storm. Washington, D.C.: The United States Institute for Peace, 1993.

Keller and Rothschild, editors. Africa in the New International Order: Rethinking State Sovereignty and Regional Security. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1996.

Quandt, William. The Peace Process from the 1967 Arab-Israel War to 1993. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institute, 1993.

General Texts Baker, James. Politics of Diplomacy: Revolution, War and Peace, 1989B1992. New York: G.P. Putnam=s and Sons, 1995.

Huntington, Samuel. The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.

Patterson, Thomas. Kennedy's Quest for Victory: American Foreign Policy from 1961-1963. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.

Cohen, Warren, and Nancy Tucker. Lyndon Johnson Confronts the World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kissinger, Henry A. Diplomacy. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994.

Haig, Alexander. Caveat: Realism, Reagan and Foreign Policy. New York: Macmillian, 1984.

McGhee, George. On the Frontline of the Cold War. New York: Praeger, 1997.

Rusk, Dean, Richard Rusk and Daniel Papp. As I Saw It. New York: W.W. Norton, 1990.

African Region

Widner, Jennifer. 1994. Economic Change and Political Liberalism in Sub-Saharan Africa. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1994.

Whitaker, Jennifer Seymour. Africa and the United States: Vital Interests. New York: New York University Press, 1978.

Packenham, Thomas. Scramble for Africa. London and New York: Random House. 1991.

Bratton, Michael, and Nicolas van de Walle. Democratic Experiments in Africa: Regime Transitions in Comparative Perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Adekanye, J. Bayo. Comparing Military-Ethnic Relations in Post-Cold War Africa. Ashgate Publishers, 1997.

Young, Crawford. The African Colonial State in Comparative Perspective. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press, 1994.

Tordoff, William. Government and Politics in Africa. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1993.

Unger, Sanford. Africa: The People and Politics of an Emerging Continent. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985.

Curtin, Philip and Bohanan. Africa and Africans. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1971.

Rotberg, Robert I. The Founder: Cecil Rhodes and the Pursuit of Power. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Rotberg, Robert I., ed. Africa in the 1990's and Beyond: U.S. Policy Opportunities and Choices. Algonac, MI: Reference Publications, 1988.

Sparks, Allister. The Mind of South Africa. New York: Knopf, 1990.

Skinner, Elliot P., ed. Beyond Constructive Engagement: U.S. Foreign Policy Towards Africa. Paragon House, 1986.

Newsome, David P. "After the Cold War: U.S. Interest in Sub-Saharan Africa," Washington Quarterly 13 (Winter 1990), pp. 99-114.

The Middle Eastern Region Ayittey, George. Why Africa Failed to Develop. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1997. [Please note that this book will not be available in bookstores until February, 1998].

Friedman, Thomas. From Beirut to Jerusalem. Second Edition. New York: Anchor Books, Doubleday, 1995.

Kunz, Diane. Diplomacy of the Crucial Decade. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. Kimp, Jeffrey, and Janice Gross-Stern. Powder Keg in the Middle East: Struggle for Gulf Security. Washington, D.C.: The American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1979. Lewis, Bernard. Islam and the West. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993. Yergin, Daniel. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Power, and Money. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991. Spiegel, Steven. The Other Arab-Israeli Conflict. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985. Bill, James. The Eagle and the Lion: Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations. New Haven, CN: Yale University Press, 1988.

McGhee, George. Envoy to the Middle World. New York: Harper and Row.

Course Outline

Week 1 (Jan. 15)

Introduction and Overview of the Course

Three distinct geographical sub-regions (The Middle East, the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa)

Their significance to the U.S.

Course expectations and policies

U.S. Foreign Policy-Making Overview

Constitutional Basis
Actors

Governmental and Non-governmental

Principles of

History of Sub-Saharan Africa from the late 19^th Century through World War I.

The Berlin Conference and the "carving up" of Africa.
U.S.-African Relations.
Post-World War I History of Colonialism

Readings:

Packenham, Scramble, selections TBA.

Week 2 (Jan. 22)

History of Sub-Saharan Africa from 1920-1950

U.S.-African Relations.

Readings, TBA

Readings:
Clapham, TBA
Young, TBA

Selection of paper topics

Week 3 (Jan. 29)

History and Overview of the Middle East and North Africa (Maghreb)

U.S.-Middle Eastern relations from 1930-1947
Other significant events/actors in modern Middle Eastern history

The "White Paper" and the Balfour Declaration
Oil company involvement
British pullout from the region
French involvement in the region

Readings, TBA

Week Four (Feb. 5)

History of the Middle East, continued.

U.S.-Middle Eastern relations from 1947-1989
The independence of Israel
The Suez Crisis
The 1967 and 1973 wars
Cold War in the Middle East
The return of Islamic fundamentalism

Readings:

Quandt, The Peace Process
Rusk, As I Saw It, "The Six Day War"
Haig, Caveat, pp. 241-251.
Kissinger, Diplomacy, sections on the Middle East.
Baker, Politics of Diplomacy, chapters on the Middle East
Other readings TBA.

Week Five (Feb. 12)

Overview of the Influence of Culture and Religion in the Regions
Readings:

Huntington, Clash of Civilizations, selections TBA.
Lewis, Islam and the West
Sparks, The Mind of South Africa
Other readings TBA

Week Six (Feb. 19)

The Political-Economy of the Maghreb and the Middle East

The Politics of Petroleum.

Readings:

Selections from Yergin, The Prize.
Other readings TBA.

Paper presentations

Week Seven (Feb. 26)

Political-Economy of Sub-Saharan Africa

The Politics of Development and Aid.

Readings:

Clapham, Africa and the International System,
Ayittey, Why Africa Failed to Develop, all.
Selections from Widner, Economic Change.

Paper presentations

Week Eight (March 5)

Politics of the Contemporary Middle East

The Persian Gulf Region (Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq)
The North "Crescent" region (Syria, Lebanon and Turkey)
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and the Protracted Arab-Israeli peace process

Readings:

Friedman, Beirut to Jerusalem.
James, The Eagle and the Lion, all.
Other readings TBA.

Paper presentations
Selection of the Second Paper Topic

FIRST PAPER DUE

Spring Break

Week Nine (March 19)

Politics of the Middle East and North Africa, continued

Israeli-Egyptian relations.
Egyptian politics.
Politics of the Maghreb.

Readings:

Lewis, Islam, selection TBA.
McGhee, Envoy to the Middle World, selections TBA.
Other readings TBA.

Week Ten (March 26)

Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa

German and Arabic influences on West (including Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon and the smaller countries) and East Africa (including the Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya).

Contemporary politics in the same regions.

Central Africa (including Zaire/Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and the smaller countries).

Readings:

Bratton and van der Walle, Democratic Experiments, selections TBA.
Packenham, Scramble, selections TBA.
Other readings TBA.

Week Eleven (April 2)

Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa, continued.

The Southern Africa region (including Mozambique, Angola, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi and South Africa).
The proxy wars in Southern Africa
The Namibia peace process and the Angolan settlement.
The end of apartheid and democratization in South Africa.
U.S. Policy towards the region, especially South Africa.

Readings:

Bratton and van der Walle, Democratic Experiments, continued.
Rotberg, The Founder.
Other readings, TBA.

Week Twelve (April 12)

The problem of Militarism and Arms Proliferation in the regions.

Military Buildup in the Middle East
Small-scale conflict in Africa
U.S. attempts at non-proliferation and arms control

Readings:

Kimp and Gross-Stern, Powder Keg in the Middle East, all.
Keller and Rothschild, eds., Africa in the New International Order, selections TBA.
Adekanye, Comparing Military-Ethnic Relations, selections TBA.
Other readings TBA.

Paper presentations

Week Thirteen (April 16)

The Problem of Nationalism and Ethnicity

Nationalism in the Middle East.
Ethnicity and Ethnic Conflict in Africa.

Readings

Paper presentations

Week Fourteen (April 23)

The Future of United States' Foreign and Economic Policy towards the Regions.
Review for the Final Exam.
Paper presentations

SECOND PAPERS DUE

Week Fifteen (April 30)

FINAL EXAMINATION

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